African Development Bank and International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) hold workshop for Francophone West Africa governments to strengthen development effectiveness
The three-day workshop, held from 3 to 5 June, took place at the headquarters of the African Development Bank Group in Abidjan, with participants from Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.
During the event, government representatives explored how IATI data can help track external resources, align aid with national priorities, and strengthen decision-making. A key focus for the workshop participants was strengthening dialogue with development partners to improve the information on billions of dollars of development investments flowing into Francophone West Africa. Participants also received practical training on the use of IATI data and tools.
Development partner representatives from Agence Française de Développement, Islamic Development Bank, West African Development Bank (BOAD), and the World Bank attended the workshop. These partners, including the African Development Bank, through IATI, have published detailed information on their development finance, projects and results. Since 2013, the Bank has published over $200 billion in project and results data to the IATI Standard.
Armand Nzeyimana, Director of the Development Impact and Results Department at the African Development Bank, emphasised the Bank's leadership on transparency in his opening remarks: "Since joining IATI in 2011, the Bank has made a firm commitment to making transparency a cornerstone of its work."
The African Development Bank has shared public data about its investments through the creation of its Data Portal and MapAfrica platform, which visualises over 5,700 projects across 17,600 locations, aligned with the Bank's High 5 strategic priorities, Nzeyimana said.
This approach resulted in the African Development Bank's sovereign portfolio being recognised as the most transparent out of 50 global development institutions in 2022 and 2024, according to Publish What You Fund's (https://apo-opa.co/45NBjzm) Aid Transparency Index, Nzeyimana added.
For Charlie Martial Ngounou, Vice-Chair of IATI's Governing Board, the workshop provided an important opportunity for governments and partners in Francophone West Africa to work towards 'greater transparency, coordination, and effectiveness in development cooperation.' He underlined the importance of ensuring that IATI serves country-level realities, noting: "The value of a standard lies in its adoption, its adaptation, and its relevance to country contexts. The real impact of IATI is found in your ministries, your dashboards, your planning and coordination processes."
Representing the Government of Côte d'Ivoire, Dr. Nahoua Yeo, Directeur de Cabinet at the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development, highlighted the importance of accessible, high-quality data for government leadership:
"I commend the IATI initiative for its leading role in standardizing, collecting, and disseminating data on development cooperation. Thanks to this standard, countries like ours can access strategic information, enhance budgetary transparency, and improve the quality of dialogue with partners. I also commend the AfDB for its continued commitment to aid effectiveness and support to member states."
The workshop concluded with participants agreeing on a regional roadmap to enhance the use of IATI data at the country level in francophone west Africa. Participants also looked ahead to 2030 and input their vision for what IATI's next strategic plan should focus on to meet the information needs of francophone African countries.
Both institutions look forward to continuing their partnership with countries to advance transparency, increase country ownership, and improve the effectiveness of development cooperation.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Contacts:
African Development Bank:
Amba Mpoke-Bigg
Communication and External Relations Department
email: media@afdb.org
IATI:
Rohini Simbodyal
IATI Advocacy and Communications Specialist Sustainable Finance Hub
email: rohini.simbodyal@undp.org
About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is Africa's premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 44 African countries with an external office in Japan, the AfDB contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states.
For more information: www.AfDB.org
About the International Aid Transparency Initiative:
IATI is a global initiative to improve the transparency of development and humanitarian resources and their results to address poverty and crises. See https://apo-opa.co/45kuqFI for more information. To date over 1,700 organisations have published data on nearly 1 million development and humanitarian projects, providing visibility on USD 3.7 trillion in spending.
For more information: https://IATIStandard.org
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
5 hours ago
- The National
'No accountability' for Beirut port blast as businesses reopen after self-funded rebuild
Victims of the Beirut port blast say they have not received promised insurance payouts and still await accountability for those responsible for the devastation − as impacted businesses continue to search for answers, reparations and justice, five years on. Much of the reconstruction was carried out by residents and business owners with support from Lebanese expatriate community, international aid agencies and NGOs, analysts say. The Beirut port explosion, triggered by improper storage of nearly 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, killed more than 220 people, injured thousands and flattened large parts of the capital on August 4, 2020. No high-ranking officials have been convicted over the blast. At the time, the World Bank estimated that the explosion caused losses of more than $8 billion, with severe damage to buildings and infrastructure, and economic decline from the numerous businesses affected. Lebanon's real gross domestic product contracted by 24.6 per cent in 2020, largely because of the blast, with a contraction of 33.2 per cent in the third quarter if that year, Beirut-based Byblos Bank said. 'There's been no accountability,' Nasser Saidi, a former economy minister and deputy governor of Lebanon's central bank, told The National f rom Beirut. The inquiry has repeatedly been hampered by political interference, legal challenges and the removal of lead investigators, leaving victims' families still searching for answers. Mr Saidi said: 'We have not seen a report, a verifiable report, of why the explosion took place. This issue of accountability is important because it covers the overall perception that things happen in Lebanon – disasters, economic collapse – and there is no accountability.' Who paid? The Lebanese government has failed to help businesses and people affected by the blast, Mr Saidi said. 'The state has been nearly absent. So what has happened is that it is the private-sector people who rebuilt their own lives and businesses and homes … supported by NGOs, charities and the like … and the Lebanese expatriate community was the main contributor to reconstruction,' he said. However, 'not everything has been rebuilt, but a good part of the homes and small businesses have started again and its mainly because of external finance,' Mr Saidi said. His own apartment was damaged in the blast and he rebuilt it himself. Lebanon was in the throes of economic crisis when the blast ripped through the port, with the Lebanese pound losing more than 90 per cent of its value against the US dollar on the black market after decades of financial mismanagement and corruption by ruling elite. The country's economy went into a tailspin after the government defaulted on about $31 billion of Eurobonds in March 2020. Lebanon's economy shrank about 58 per cent between 2019 and 2021, with its GDP plummeting to $21.8 billion in 2021, from about $52 billion in 2019, the World Bank said in a report in 2022, calling it the world's worst economic collapse since the 1850s. The Covid outbreak in early 2020 exacerbated the situation, with the private sector contracting amid a drop in demand and rising inflation. Food and dining, hospitality, retail, real estate and the commercial sector are those to have reopened for business. Michael Young, a senior editor at the Malcolm H Kerr Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut, said he too had to spend his own savings to repair his damaged apartment. 'I was told the state would pay me a share and the army came twice to my home to assess damages. I didn't get a cent, however, and had to pay several thousand dollars out of my own pocket. I suspect this was widespread and many businesses simply closed, as the blast came on top of the financial collapse and Covid crisis,' he said. Calculating the cost The World Bank in a preliminary report after the blast put total estimated costs at $8.1 billion – $4.6 billion in damage to infrastructure and physical assets, and $3.5 billion in economic losses as a result of the decline in Lebanese output. Housing, transport and cultural assets, including religious and archaeological sites and national monuments, were badly affected. Physical damage in the housing sector was estimated at between $1.9 billion and $2.3 billion, the cultural sector at $1 billion to $1.2 billion, and the transport and ports sector at between $280 million and $345 million. The World Bank also estimated the damage to the tourism sector at between $170 million and $205 million, commerce and industry at between $105 million and $125 million, and health care at $95 million to $115 million. It put damage to the financial sector at between $10 million and $15 million. 'Beirut continues to grapple with the aftermath of the blast, especially in the areas most affected by the explosion,' said Samer Talhouk, senior economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence. 'Some businesses in the affected areas have closed down permanently, while some damage can still be seen, especially in the lower income areas adjacent to the port.' Those who delivered Mr Talkhouk said economic activity in affected areas has recovered but not to pre-blast levels. 'There are some businesses that have closed permanently and not reopened, while new business have replaced some old ones in the area.' The rebuilding process has largely been driven by private initiatives, NGOs and international aid, rather than the Lebanese government, Mr Talhouk added. 'Many property owners and businesses relied on support from local and international NGOs, diaspora donations and some international agencies. A large portion of people affected have also relied on their savings to rebuild their damaged properties.' Lebanese banks' arbitrary restrictions on their clients' access to savings in their accounts complicated matters. On the first anniversary of the blast, the international community pledged about $370 million to help support Lebanon's reconstruction. French President Emmanuel Macron pledged $120 million, while Joe Biden, US president at the time, announced $100 million in aid. Germany, Kuwait, Canada and Sweden pledged $50 million, $30 million, $20 million and $14 million, respectively. 'There was lot of foreign aid, especially from Lebanese expatriates around the world, that poured in to support the affected families and neighbourhoods, and to fill the vacuum that the government at the time left behind,' said Nassib Ghobril, chief economist at Byblos Bank. Port operations The Beirut port, which suffered extensive damage, has not resumed to full operations as the heavily destroyed part has yet to be rebuilt, Mr Ghobril said. The port suffered damage of about $350 million in the explosion, the World Bank said. The container processing section, however, is 'functioning normally, with the most recent figures showing the port of Beirut was the entry point for 61 per cent of Lebanon's merchandise imports in the first five months of 2025, while it was the exit point of 41.2 per cent of merchandise exports in the same period of time'. But the port has not just been overcoming the aftermath of the blast, it has also been dealing with Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping that have impacted the maritime industry, analysts say. In the second quarter of 2020, before the blast, Beirut port was ranked 120th in UNCTAD's Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index. By the second quarter of 2025, the port's ranking had plummeted to 133rd. However, despite this most recent drop, the port's ranking had improved in to 85th position in the first quarter of 2024, indicating signs of recovery after the blast. However, this was undone by the impact of the Houthis' Red Sea attacks on shipping. 'The subsequent fall in ranking can very likely be attributed to the rerouting of ships due to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea,' Niels Rasmussen, Bimco's head of shipping market analysis, told The National. 'The re-routing not only reduced the number of ships transiting the Suez Canal but also the number of ships continuing into the Eastern Mediterranean after having sailed around the Cape of Good Hope.' Business owners speak out Charbel Bassil, owner of Le Chef restaurant: Le Chef is one of Beirut's oldest restaurants owned by Charbel Bassil. It's a family-owned business that is very popular among tourists and locals for its homestyle dishes and affordable prices. Damage from the port explosion forced the popular Gemmayzeh spot to close down for the first time since Francois Bassil, Mr Charbel's father, opened the restaurant in 1967. When the blast happened, business was slow due to the coronavirus pandemic and Lebanon's economic crisis. Lockdown measures meant the restaurant was open only a few days a week, and would usually serve only a few tables. At the time of the explosion, Mr Charbel had two customers. The blast destroyed everything he and two of his staff were injured, one badly. The restaurant was shut down for four months. In December 2020, it was able to reopen with the help of a community fund-raiser launched by loyal customers. A generous donation of $5,000 by actor Russell Crowe helped Le Chef open its doors again. The Gladiator actor made the pledge in memory of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, who featured Le Chef twice on his TV show No Reservations. Mr Bassil said: 'Some people called me and said they wanted to help us rebuild. I didn't know what to say, so I consulted my brother because we're a family business, and he said 'why not, whatever support people offer us, God will give them back twofold'.' 'We're blessed with people's love and support, we thank God for this gift and we thank God that we were able to survive this. 'Our plan was to work and rebuild with the money we make, this is how we have done it over the past decades, through all of Lebanon's crises. But we were open to people helping us and we appreciate it.' Business has since returned to normal but Mr Charbel says there's always a sense of fear in Lebanon of what comes next. 'We're tired, we just want some peace, we want calm, we're tired of all the crises. But regardless, we resist and we live, what else can we do?' He could not say how much the business had lost. Mohamad Al Ayan, owner of a convenience store: Mohamad Al Ayan, 38, who owns a convenience store in Sodeco in east Beirut, spoke of how he struggled to rebuild his damaged shop after the blast. The area is around 3km from the port but still suffered extensive damage. Although it was during the pandemic, he had permission to open until 3pm. 'It was the worst day of my life because we were stuck inside for 15 minutes, we didn't know what was going on. It was dark, there was screaming.' Initially he thought the city's tallest building, Sama Beirut, opposite the shop, had been bombed, such was the extent of the damage to his shop. 'It was like a nightmare,' he added. Mr Al Ayan stayed until midnight to fix his electricity feed and rebuild the front door so no one could break in. He remembers how all of the businesses and buildings in the area were 'broken', their shopfronts destroyed and glass shattered. Much of Al Ayan's inventory was destroyed and an expensive fridge was ripped from its position and flung outside by the blast. He doesn't remember exactly how much the damage cost but it was a lot for a small business. It would be at least two days until he could reopen. 'I paid a lot of money. Many thousands. No one gave me one dollar,' he said. He paid for everything himself and did not have any insurance. No one from the government came to offer support or visit. Some NGOs made inquiries but 'disappeared'. Mr Al Ayan has worked in the area for more than a decade and knows his fellow business owners well. He believed they were all in the same position, forced to fend for themselves. 'Beirut was destroyed. I don't want to remember anything, I don't want to be traumatised again. But everything after August 4 was changed. We are different people. They [the authorities] killed the fear inside us.' William Dobson, co-owner of Aaliya's Books: William Dobson, who was co-owner of the much-loved Aaliya's Books in Gemmayzeh, can tell you the rough financial cost the bookshop and cafe incurred when the Beirut blast came crashing through its doors and windows. In the aftermath, Aaliya's received £35,000 ($46,200) in donations from a crowdfunding campaign organised by a former customer based in the UK, $7,500 from a British government initiative that helped replenish its stock of books and a few thousand dollars from an insurance policy − the insurance company's own offices were badly damaged in the explosion. This was balanced against costs of about $100,000 − both for refurbishing Aaliya's and the impact of Covid-19 on business. But Mr Dobson says the greatest cost in many ways was the emotional toll from the unrelenting uncertainty brought by the explosion, Lebanon's economic crises, the pandemic and Israel's war in the country. Aaliya's managed to survive almost all of these, but finally closed in December 2024, as the impact of Israel's war against Hezbollah became just too much. 'Even post-explosion and post-recovery, what you end up losing is ambition,' said Mr Dobson. 'Ambition was lost, not just in terms of the people who were working for us and who saw less of a future for themselves, but also, I think, for us. We felt less ambitious in what we were able to achieve and we felt less confident in the thing that we were doing.' Aaliya's was set up in 2016 to be something new − a fresh space that allowed people to talk and express themselves, 'not driven by profit but driven by value'. Mr Dobson said he wanted the bookshop to be somewhere where people could thrive; where they could 'start off as a busboy and become a manager'. 'When you're trying to do something and you think you're making a difference and you see the differences that you are making. You're seeing people read, you're seeing people coming to storytelling nights,' he said. Mr Dobson recalled when Aaliya's first opened, 300 people came to storytelling event by a collective called Cliffhangers. 'It was kind of indicative of something more compelling, that there was a yearning for spaces like this in the city and at a specific moment in time,' he said. 'And that became harder to justify after the explosion. Because it almost felt like, what's the point in making micro-improvements when you can see every single one of those improvements disintegrate − both literally and figuratively − in the space of 30 seconds.'
Arabian Post
2 days ago
- Arabian Post
After Trump's 25 Per Cent Tariff On Indian Exports, There Is No Cause For Panic
By Dr. Nilanjan Banik Before the August 1 deadline, the U.S. President Donald Trump decided to impose a 25% tariff on Indian exports. He also talked about an additional penalty on Indian exports, which could go up to100% as a surcharge, targeting countries that continue trading oil with Russia. Trump seems to care less about 'friend' India, as trade with India accounts for a much smaller share compared to U.S. trade with China. Because of U.S. interests, China is likely to get a better trade deal than India, for instance removal of restrictions of U.S. chip-design software exports to China. This is not the first time Trump has taken a hard line on India. During his earlier stint at the President not only did Trump label India as the 'tariff king', but he also removed the country from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). Under the GSP, established by the Trade Act of 1974, US policymakers allowed imports of around 3,500 products from designated beneficiary countries—primarily low-income nations—at a preferential duty-free (zero-tariff) rate. The aim was to help these countries increase and diversify their trade with the US. According to the World Bank, a 'low-income' country is one with a per capita income of less than $1,045 per year in 2024. As U.S. remains India's largest export destination, it is only natural to feel the pressure with increasingly restrictive trade measures in place. Around 18% of India's total exports are directed to the US, with a value of $77 billion in 2023, and $78 billion in 2024. However, if previous restrictive trade measures, including the withdrawal of GSP, are any indication, then the impact has been relatively modest. A quick review of the items qualified under the GSP reveals that they primarily fall under categories such as textiles and apparel, watches, footwear, work gloves, automotive components, and leather apparel. Among these key export categories, some items within textiles and apparel and automotive components were included in the GSP list. Additionally, exports of organic chemicals, steel, and certain engineering goods—such as nuclear boilers, machinery, and mechanical appliances—were also impacted by the withdrawal of GSP benefits. However, the value of these items as a proportion of total Indian exports to the US is relatively small. India's exports to the US are mainly comprised of diamonds (19%), packaged medicaments (14%), refined petroleum products (8.9%), automotive components (2.1%), and textiles and apparel (3.7%). The percentages in parentheses represent the share of India's exports to the U.S. as a percentage of India's total exports. The recent signing of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is expected to help offset some of the negative effects of excessive tariffs in the long run. Indian policymakers had anticipated a tariff around 20%, but Trump ultimately imposed a 25% rate. Thanks to the India-UK Free Trade Agreement, India stands to benefit from zero tariffs on 99% of its exports, particularly in sectors like textiles, jewellery, pharmaceuticals, automotive parts, and information technology services – areas that commentators fear could be negatively impacted by higher U.S. tariffs. Indian exports to the U.S. are also likely to be less affected in relative terms, since Trump has unilaterally imposed tariffs on countries whose exports compete with India in the U.S. market. For example, Bangladesh (35%), Thailand (36%), Vietnam (20%), Indonesia (19%), Malaysia (25%), and the Philippines (19%) – some of India's competitors in leather, textiles, and machinery – are equally impacted, with the numbers in parentheses indicating their respective tariff levels. To better withstand external shocks — whether from protectionist tariffs or even war — India should focus on making its manufacturing sector/exports more competitive and focus on its domestic economy. The Indian economy benefits from a strong domestic sector, with domestic consumption, government spending, and private investment together accounting for nearly 80% of the country's GDP. However, the contribution of manufacturing value added to GDP remains stagnant at 17%, indicating no significant improvement in manufacturing competitiveness. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), a key driver of technology transfer and manufacturing competitiveness, is declining, with gross FDI flows dropping to just 1% and net FDI falling to 0.6% in the first half of the 2023-24 financial year—levels not seen since 2005-06. Rigidities in the business environment, the inverted duty structure (IDS), and India's decision to terminate bilateral treaties are to be blamed for discouraging flow of FDI. A study by CUTS International of 1,464 tariff lines across textiles, electronics, chemicals, and metals reveals how the IDS is hurting competitiveness, with 136 items from textiles, 179 from electronics, 64 from chemicals, and 191 from metals most affected. For example, apparel items priced below $14 (Rs 1,000) are subject to a GST of 5%, while those exceeding $14 are taxed at 12%. For textile manufacturers, there are also significant investments required in value-added services such as marketing, warehouse rentals, logistics, courier services, and other fulfilment costs. However, these additional services are subject to a higher GST rate of 18%, making the products less competitive in the international market. The India budget 2025 has addressed the issue of IDS; for example, the government has increased tariffs on Interactive Flat Panel Displays from 10% to 20%, while reducing tariffs on Open Cells and related components to 5%. This trend needs to continue, and policymakers must implement further reforms to enhance the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector. While tariff negotiations is an ongoing process, India could consider strengthening its position by increasing purchases of U.S. oil and defense equipment. During his last tenure, Trump positioned himself more as a major arms dealer, focusing on selling more weapons and oil. India has contracted for nearly $20 billion worth of US origin defense items since 2008. This trend is likely to continue in a potential Trump 2.0. India, for its part, should focus less on tariffs and more on addressing domestic distortions. (IPA Service) (The author is Professor, Mahindra University).
Zawya
3 days ago
- Zawya
AfDB's African Development Fund hopes to start tapping capital markets in 2027
The African Development Bank arm lending to low-income countries will start raising $5bn from capital markets every three years from 2027, a senior bank official said on Tuesday, 29 July 2025 as donor countries such as the US cut support. The Africa Development Fund (ADF) facility has provided $45bn in concessional credit to 37 low-income African countries since it was established in 1972. It counts the United States as its biggest cumulative donor, but President Donald Trump's administration wants to cut $555m in funding. "We have an ambition to go to the capital markets and raise funding, which would help us to diversify the way that we fund ourselves," said Valerie Dabady, AfDB's head of Resource Mobilization and Partnerships, during a briefing. "We believe that we can raise up to $5bn in every three-year cycle. But in order to get there, we have to actually change our charter," she said, adding the process of doing so was already underway. ADF will then seek a credit rating and start undertaking the work of raising funds, following in the footsteps of the broader AfDB, which has issued a range of instruments in international capital markets over the years, Dabady said. The Abidjan-headquartered AfDB is the continent's biggest development bank and it approved a review of ADF's funding mix in December 2022, she said, before the geopolitical shifts that have stoked concerns about attainment of replenishment targets. "It was very prescient and very timely that we should have done this... what it has done, the current geopolitical context, is to give a bit more impetus to what it is we want to do with the market borrowing," Dabady said. The next round of replenishment for the ADF, which is held on a three-year cycle, is scheduled to take place from November, and AfDB had set a target of more than doubling the $8.9bn that was raised in the last round. "We had started off these discussions wanting to reach $25bn, and I think that given the context, that's not something that's going to be possible, given the constrained environment and the like," Dabady said.
