The African Development Bank Group held a strategic workshop with civil society organisations (CSOs) and the African diaspora on 6 - 7 November, marking a new era of inclusive partnership within the framework of the new Four Cardinal Points strategy initiated by the institution's president, Sidi Ould Tah.
The workshop, organised in hybrid mode by the Bank Group's Civil Society and Community Engagement Division, brought together high-level representatives of these organisations and think tanks. This pan-African consultation follows an online survey conducted using the civil society database (https://cso.afdb.org) in September and October 2025. Contributions from 334 organisations in over 45 African countries were collected by the institution through the survey.
"Development cannot be decreed: it is a co-creation," stressed Zeneb Touré, Head of the Civil Society and Community Engagement Division, echoing the sentiment shared by all the participants who contributed to the joint reflection around the Four Cardinal Points. In their view, CSOs and diaspora networks are not simply beneficiaries of development, but also drivers of accountability, inclusion and innovation, and a bridge between the Bank Group's strategy and people's everyday realities.
Reform of the financial architecture, they argued, must be implemented in a way that supports Africa, and by Africans themselves. "Reforming our financial architecture means building the foundations of real sovereignty. It's not an option, it's a matter of urgency. And it's a collective responsibility," maintained Fatoumata Sidibe, a member of the Manssah think tank, a pan-African initiative launched in 2023 by journalist Alain Foka. "It's up to us to ensure that this reform is not just a project for experts, but also a project for the people. A project for Africa and by Africa," she added.
Strategic recommendations adopted
After two days of in-depth discussions, participants unanimously adopted a four-point framework for action, reflecting their determination to carry forward the vision of the Four Cardinal Points:
- Mobilise innovative capital through hybrid mechanisms, social bonds and the diaspora.
- Institutionalise the diaspora in the reform of Africa's financial architecture.
- Invest massively in human capital, especially young people and women, with a focus on digital and green skills, and skills transfer.
- Build resilient infrastructure to create ecosystems for local and inclusive employment thanks to the participation of citizens and the diaspora.
From commitment to action
For the participants, the workshop was intended as the starting point for mobilising the continent. They pledged to work together over the coming months to draw up an exhaustive compendium of proposals from the field for the successful implementation of the Bank Group's Four Cardinal Points strategy.
Zeneb Touré concluded the workshop with a message of hope and determination: "The Bank Group's Four Cardinal Points can only succeed with collective ownership and shared commitment. This workshop brilliantly demonstrates that when we listen carefully to our partners in the field, when we create together rather than consulting, we discover innovative solutions and paths to transformation that we would never have imagined on our own. Civil society and the African diaspora are not just another partner: they are the beating heart of our development mission."
