What: Discussion - From Capital Increase to Delivery at Scale: Evidence from Independent Evaluation
Who: The African Development Bank Group's Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV)
When: Thursday, 28 May 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Brazzaville time, GMT+1)
Where: Tente Congo Oubangui, Kintélé International Conference Centre, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, and online.
Africa faces an estimated annual development financing gap of more than $1.3 trillion in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This gap comes at a time of rising public debt, constrained fiscal space, and increasing fragmentation of the global economy. While domestic resource mobilization remains essential, attention is increasingly turning to the institutional and operational capacities required to translate financing into tangible, sustainable, and scalable development results.
Join IDEV for a side event organized during the 2026 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group offering an independent, evidence-based perspective to the discussion.
The discussion will draw on findings from the evaluation of the Implementation of the African Development Bank's Commitments under the Seventh General Capital Increase (GCI VII), through this operation, the African Development Bank more than doubled its capital base, from $93 billion to $208 billion, while undertaking a broad range of institutional and operational reforms aimed at strengthening implementation capacity, responsiveness, and financial sustainability. Discussions will focus on:
- How strengthened financial capacity enabled a significant scaling-up of support to African countries
- Why institutional readiness, governance clarity, and implementation effectiveness are critical to delivering results at scale
- How financial sustainability, market credibility, and innovative resource mobilization mechanisms support the expansion of development financing
This event will contribute to the implementation of the Bank Group's Ten-Year Strategy 2024-2033 and its Four Cardinal Points by bringing evaluative evidence to priorities related to discussions on increased access to capital and the institutional effectiveness required to transform financial resources into development results.
A high-level panel composed of representatives from the Bank Group, regional member countries, development partners, and financial institutions will share perspectives on strengthening implementation systems, improving reform delivery, and scaling development impact.
The event will also provide a platform for dialogue on how evidence from independent evaluation can inform future institutional reforms, strengthen implementation systems, and support more effective mobilization and deployment of development finance.
