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The African Development Bank Group and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have signed a JPY 86.6 billion ($583.4 million) concessional loan agreement to support the African Development Fund’s seventeenth replenishment (ADF-17).
According to a statement published on the AfDB website on Saturday, the agreement was signed in Tokyo on November 13 by Bank Group President Dr Sidi Ould Tah and JICA President Dr Akihiko Tanaka.
The financing is expected to expand access to affordable development funding for Africa’s lowest-income countries, supporting investments in infrastructure, energy access, food security and regional integration.
AfDB secures $583.4 million JICA loan
The agreement represents JICA’s largest-ever official development assistance financing support to the African Development Fund. It also fulfils a commitment made by Japan’s Ministry of Finance during the ADF-17 replenishment pledging session in December 2025.
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The funding is intended to help eligible African countries address development challenges and expand economic opportunities through affordable, long-term financing.
Speaking at the signing, JICA President Dr Akihiko Tanaka said the agreement reflected the strength of the partnership between both institutions and Japan’s confidence in the Fund’s ability to support Africa’s development.
- “This financing demonstrates the strength of the partnership between JICA and the African Development Bank Group, and our shared commitment to Africa’s development,” Tanaka said.
He added that it would help African countries address interconnected challenges while advancing resilient, inclusive and sustainable development.
AfDB President Dr Sidi Ould Tah said ADF-17 had mobilised a record $11 billion from 44 partners, adding that the Bank’s ambition extended beyond replenishing resources to transforming how Africa mobilises and deploys development finance.
Japan’s Deputy Vice Minister for International Affairs, Kazuki Watanabe, said the country expected ADF-17 to deliver tangible results through quality infrastructure, stronger governance, institutional capacity and sustainable debt management.
The agreement builds on Japan’s contributions to the Fund, including grants and compensation under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, which together amount to approximately $600 million.
Japan strengthens long-standing AfDB partnership
The Tokyo signing followed an earlier ceremony on November 5 at the AfDB Group’s headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. At the event, the Bank Group’s Vice-President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer, Hassatou Diop N’Sele, and Japan’s Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, Junji Gomakubo, signed and exchanged official diplomatic notes to formalise Japan’s financing commitment.
Japan has maintained a partnership with the African Development Bank Group for decades, having joined the African Development Fund in 1973 and the African Development Bank in 1982.
The ADF-17 replenishment also marks a shift towards a more investment-driven financing model, using innovative instruments to increase the resources available for development.
- The Fund is introducing concessional donor loans alongside a new market borrowing framework.
- These instruments are designed to leverage existing contributions and mobilise additional capital.
- The approach aims to expand access to affordable, long-term financing for eligible African countries.
Through the new financing model, the Fund intends to make donor contributions go further while supporting development priorities across the continent.
JICA expands development support in Nigeria
Established in 1972, the African Development Fund is the concessional financing arm of the African Development Bank Group. It provides grants and low-interest loans to eligible African countries to support economic and social development.
Japan’s development partnership with African countries also includes projects in Nigeria, particularly in technology, innovation and infrastructure.
- Nairametrics earlier reported that Japan, through JICA, committed $10.4 million to support the expansion of innovation hubs across Nigeria.
- In April 2025, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) announced that it had secured a JPY 1.6 billion ($12.1 million) grant from JICA to develop a startup hub in Abuja.
- JICA has also supported Nigeria’s power infrastructure. In August 2026, the agency committed N20 billion to the expansion and rehabilitation of the country’s national electricity grid.
These projects reflect the wider areas of cooperation between Japan and African development institutions, spanning infrastructure, private sector investment, human capital development, technical assistance and knowledge exchange.
