Tunis — This event is an opportunity for open dialogues between the Bank and its major partners on the Bank's strategic focus such as infrastructure development, governance, private sector development, and higher education. The enhanced collaboration with partners in these areas will greatly contribute to the economic development and regional integration in Africa.

Tangible achievements made through a series of reforms by the Bank Group have greatly enhanced its credibility and generated renewed confidence in the institution as demonstrated by increased level of interest by public and private institutions in partnering with the Bank. This confidence has helped in deepening traditional partnership. The Bank has, since 2008, been expanding its collaborative relations with emerging economies, knowledge institutions, and private foundations.

As stated by the AfDB Vice-President in charge of Country/Regional Programs and Policy, Joseph Eichenberger, "The African Development Bank continues to leverage additional financial and technical resources for Africa in a coordinated and efficient way, and foster development knowledge sharing to better meet the needs of its 53 regional member countries." This has been possible thanks to strong partnerships with AfDB allies based on strategic focus and continuous dialogue.

In preparation for the Partnership Forum, a Partnership Booklet "AfDB Partnership and Cooperation Opportunities" has been compiled by the Partnerships and Cooperation Unit, which gives an overview of various cooperation opportunities with the Bank, including the existing and newly proposed Trust Funds, Co-financing, Technical Assistants/Secondment and Institutional Partnerships Arrangements.