The has unveiled plans to mobilise about US$23 billion in private investment for Africa over the next four years, as part of a broader push to expand risk-sharing instruments and unlock commercial financing for development projects.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Washington-based lender said the initiative will be driven by its consolidated Guarantee Platform, which is designed to significantly scale up the issuance of guarantees to investors operating across African markets.
The institution said it aims to more than double annual guarantee issuance in Africa to US$6.4 billion by 2030, arguing that stronger risk mitigation tools are essential to crowd in private capital into key sectors.
The World Bank said the programme could ultimately improve the lives of about 190 million people across the continent within four years, through expanded access to infrastructure, finance and basic services.
Africa’s demographic trends underscore the urgency of investment, the bank noted, pointing to projections that the continent’s working-age population will rise by about 740 million over the next three decades, with an estimated 12 million young people entering the labour force each year.
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It said guarantees would help attract private capital into job-creating sectors including agribusiness, energy, infrastructure, healthcare, digital services, finance and trade.
The platform will also support flagship initiatives such as AgriConnect, aimed at strengthening smallholder agriculture and global food security, and Mission 300, a joint programme with the targeting electricity access for 300 million Africans by 2030.
According to the World Bank, the guarantees could help provide electricity access to 43 million people, expand financial inclusion for 50 million individuals and businesses, and support women-led enterprises in particular.
Other projected outcomes include connecting 37 million people to broadband internet, expanding digitally enabled services to 51 million people, and improving transport infrastructure for about three million people.
The institution said the initiative is designed to reduce investment risks that have historically limited private sector participation in large-scale African development projects.
“Africa remains home to the world’s youngest and fastest-growing workforce, and guarantees will play a critical role in attracting the investment to create the jobs needed to secure their future,” said Tsutomu Yamamoto, managing director of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).
He said the programme would help build more stable economies by reducing exposure to financial and operational risks that often deter commercial lenders from funding long-term projects in emerging markets.
The Guarantee Platform, launched in 2024, consolidates the World Bank, International Finance Corporation and MIGA into a single framework aimed at streamlining approval processes and reducing duplication.
By centralising guarantee services, the platform seeks to make financing structures more predictable and attractive to private investors, particularly in high-risk but high-growth sectors across Africa.
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Development economists say the approach reflects a growing shift in global financing, where multilateral lenders increasingly focus on leveraging limited public funds to unlock larger pools of private capital.
However, analysts also caution that the success of such initiatives will depend on governance reforms, project execution capacity and macroeconomic stability in recipient countries.
Still, the World Bank maintains that blended finance and guarantees remain among the most effective tools for bridging Africa’s infrastructure and development financing gap.
