AfDB 2025 Annual Meetings to Tackle Trade Shifts and Investment Mobilization

ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire — The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) will convene its 2025 Annual Meetings from May 26 to 30 at its headquarters in Abidjan, amid significant shifts in global trade dynamics that are reshaping the continent’s development trajectory.

Held under the theme “Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development,” the high-level meetings aim to chart new paths for economic resilience, investment mobilization, and financial self-reliance across the continent.

The conference comes as African nations grapple with changing global trade policies. New U.S. trade measures have impacted 47 out of 54 African countries, with 22 facing tariffs of up to 50 percent on a broad spectrum of exports. The evolving U.S. foreign aid strategy, coupled with reduced funding from USAID, has further signaled a pivot away from traditional forms of support.

In this increasingly uncertain environment, the AfDB’s 2025 summit will focus on leveraging domestic capital and private sector participation to meet the continent’s development needs. Leaders from government, finance, and civil society are expected to discuss reforms, policy innovations, and partnerships to unlock Africa’s financial potential.

The meetings will also include the election of a new AfDB president, marking a pivotal moment for the 60-year-old institution as it continues to play a central role in shaping Africa’s development future.