The New Partnership for Africa's Development Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility Special Fund (NEPAD-IPPF), hosted by the African Development Bank, has marked 20 years of support for Africa's regional infrastructure agenda and outlined new priorities to accelerate investment-ready projects across the continent.
The milestones were highlighted during the Fund's 41st Oversight Committee Meeting, held in Cotonou, Benin from July 2 - 3 2026. Since inception, NEPAD-IPPF has approved 114 grants totalling $124.67 million, successfully mobilising more than $13 billion in downstream investment across the transport, energy, water and ICT sectors.
Meeting amid growing demand for bankable, climate-resilient and regionally integrated infrastructure, the Oversight Committee reviewed the Fund's 2025 performance, assessed progress on previous recommendations. The Committee adopted targeted measures to optimise project preparation, accelerate implementation and maximise investment mobilisation for transformative regional infrastructure.
In 2025, the Fund achieved its highest annual disbursement level since 2020. This milestone reflects enhanced portfolio management, improved project execution, and reinforcing the Fund's vital role in driving the Bank's regional integration agenda.
"NEPAD-IPPF's role must also be understood within the Bank's broader strategic architecture. The Fund is not a standalone facility, it is a strategic enabler of the Bank's Four Cardinal Points, NAFAD, and the Ten-Year Strategy, each of which depends on a strong pipeline of well-prepared, bankable regional projects to translate ambition into delivery" said Mike Salawou, Director of the Infrastructure and Urban Development Department at the African Development Bank, representing the Bank in the Oversight Committee.
Ahead of the meeting, NEPAD-IPPF hosted a three-day capacity-building programme for Regional Economic Communities, executing agencies and project teams. The training focused on procurement, financial management, safeguards, climate resilience and project bankability.
The anniversary programme also featured a high-level panel on "The Next 20 Years: Reimagining Project Preparation to Unlock Africa's Infrastructure Investment," which explored strategies to boost private sector participation and accelerate continental integration.
Participants conducted field visits to NEPAD-IPPF-supported electricity interconnection projects in Benin which serve as a critical link in stabilizing West Africa's shared regional power grid.
"Our objective is not simply to prepare projects, but to help ensure that regional infrastructure is ultimately financed, implemented and delivers tangible benefits for African people. The decisions taken by this Oversight Committee will help strengthen NEPAD-IPPF's role in turning well-prepared projects into infrastructure that supports trade, connectivity and sustainable economic growth," said Michael Andres, Chair of the NEPAD-IPPF Oversight Committee and Principal Project Manager at Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau- German development bank.
Looking ahead, the Oversight Committee reaffirmed NEPAD-IPPF's role in preparing regional infrastructure projects and called for an expanded pipeline of investment-ready projects. To sustain this momentum the Committee urged both existing and new development partners to strengthen the Fund with fresh contributions while commending the African Development Bank Group for its two decades of steadfast support.
As NEPAD-IPPF designs its next Strategic Business Plan for 2027-2031, it will focus on elevating project quality, accelerating implementation, and deepening partnerships. By targeting private sector participation, the Fund aims to augment a robust pipeline of transformative and bankable regional infrastructure projects across Africa.
About NEPAD-IPPF
Hosted by the African Development Bank, the NEPAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility Special Fund is a multi-donor facility that prepares regional infrastructure projects across Africa and helps mobilize public and private investment for regional integration and sustainable development.
