African leaders called for greater investment in energy, infrastructure, industrialisation and climate finance, and also urged the continent to mobilise more private capital to drive its development agenda during a presidential dialogue on Tuesday, at the start of the 2026 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group.
The high-level panel discussion, following the opening ceremony, featured the presidents of Gabon, Brice Oligui Nguema, Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadéra and host, President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo. They were joined by Dr Sidi Ould Tah, President of the African Development Bank Group.
The leaders spoke before an audience at the Kintele Conference Centre in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, composed of senior government officials, governors of the African Development Bank Group, finance leaders, development partners, and other stakeholders including private sector and civil society leaders. The theme of this year's Annual Meetings is "Mobilising Africa's Development Financing at Scale in a Fragmented World."
President Nguema highlighted how his country was seeking to transform its vast natural resources and environmental assets into long-term economic growth through biodiversity finance and eco-tourism.
He outlined Gabon's efforts to monetise its forest conservation activities and biodiversity assets through a national carbon-credit framework and a specialised agency established to manage and market environmental credits internationally.
"We would like to develop our forests while preserving nature," he said. "By doing so, we can create ecological tourism without destroying our natural heritage."
The Gabonese leader called for greater international compensation for Congo Basin countries who are preserving global forest ecosystems.
Congo's President Nguesso stressed the importance of diversifying economies beyond hydrocarbons, even as oil and gas remained central to his country's national revenues.
He drew attention to plans to develop fertiliser production using Congo's large reserves of potash, phosphate and natural gas, positioning the country as a future supplier to African and global agricultural markets.
President Nguesso also underscored the importance of energy generation for Africa's industrial development, citing the hydropower potential of the Congo River basin and ongoing cooperation with the African Development Bank Group on regional electricity projects.
"It is not possible to achieve development without energy," he stated.
The Congolese leader linked conservation efforts to livestock development in rural communities, arguing that "without that, the people would be compelled to hunt wildlife for food."
President Touadéra appealed for stronger support from the Bank Group to help unlock the potential of landlocked economies through roads, power generation and regional connectivity projects.
"We have huge potential," he said. "Today we have peace, and there are several sectors that can attract investors."
He said his government supports the Mission 300, the joint initiative of the African Development Bank Group and the World Bank Group to provide electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030.
Responding to questions on Africa's financing gap, Dr Ould Tah said Africa possessed significant untapped capital, including an estimated four trillion dollars in African-held financial resources that could be leveraged to raise capital at scale for bankable projects.
"It is our role at the bank to work with states and financial institutions to design bankable projects and mobilise the necessary financing," Dr Ould Tah remarked.
Dr Ould Tah added that the Bank would also focus on improving investment conditions, protecting investors and building partnerships capable of narrowing Africa's widening development financing gap.
"We need to create conditions for our partners to make gains also," he said. "This will help us crowd in more foreign direct investment."
The discussion during the presidential dialogue repeatedly returned to the role of Africa's youth and human capital in transforming the continent's economies.
"Africa's greatest asset is not our mineral resources; it's our youth, our human capital. We must invest in them - in education, engineering and technical training. We must believe in them," President Nguema said to nods of approval from the panel, and applause from the audience.
