The African Development Bank Group and the Commission of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) held a technical dialogue mission in Libreville, Gabon, from 20 to 22 July 2026, dedicated to strengthening their partnership and drafting the Regional Integration Strategy Document for Central Africa for the next five years.
The mission, which brought together officials and experts from both institutions, aimed to consolidate areas of cooperation and ensure that the strategy, known as the DSIR-AC 2026-2031, aligns with the Central States commission's Medium-Term Indicative Strategic Plan for 2026-2030. It also provided an opportunity to examine challenges facing regional integration, the outcomes of the 2019-2025 regional strategy, the priorities of the new 2026-2031 regional strategy, and the performance of the regional portfolio.
"The African Development Bank Group's new regional strategy for Central Africa, aligned with the Bank's Strategic Vision and with ECCAS's 2026-2030 Medium-Term Strategic Investment Plan, will aim to support the accelerated implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area in Central Africa, by strengthening inclusive and resilient regional infrastructure," said Nouridine Kane Dia, the Bank Group's country representative in Gabon.
Following discussions co-chaired by Dia and Tavira da Silva Olouimo Diai, ECCAS Commissioner responsible for the Department of the Common Market, Economic, Monetary and Financial Affairs, two priority areas were identified: strengthening resilient regional infrastructure, and developing human capital and the institutional capacities of regional economic communities.
The discussions provided an opportunity to review the pillars of the 2026-2030 Medium-Term Indicative Strategic Plan, notably economic and trade integration, regional infrastructure, agriculture and agro-industrialisation, human development, and the strengthening of institutional governance. The participants also agreed to further identify and develop priority projects through sector-specific technical meetings.
Between 2019 and December 2025, the Bank Group mobilised US$1.23 billion for 28 regional infrastructure projects, contributing to the strengthening of regional connectivity through the development of integrated multimodal transport corridors, energy interconnections and trade facilitation measures, in support of economic integration in Central Africa. The discussions highlighted the need to improve project selectivity, mobilise co-financing, ensure high-quality project intake and strengthen the capacities of the implementing units.
Following the discussions, the two institutions agreed on a roadmap providing, in particular, for the establishment of a joint ECCAS-Bank Group Technical Committee, the institutionalisation of an annual high-level dialogue, the further development of regional projects, and the systematic involvement of ECCAS in the preparation of multi-country projects. They also agreed to step up their collaboration on the development of multimodal regional economic corridors, energy interconnections and regional industrial processing hubs, with a view to strengthening regional competitiveness, stimulating intra-regional trade and developing regional value chains.
As of 31 July 2026, the Bank Group's regional portfolio in Central Africa comprised 37 operations totalling $1.69 billion in financing.
