The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank have agreed to strengthen cooperation on economic research focused on Africa’s key development challenges, with the aim of improving policy advice and supporting more effective responses to the continent’s changing economic landscape.
The agreement followed high-level discussions between officials from both institutions at the AfDB headquarters in Abidjan, where they reviewed major issues affecting growth and development across Africa.
The discussions focused on structural challenges including rising debt pressures, job creation, demographic trends, domestic resource mobilisation and the transition toward cleaner energy systems.
The two institutions agreed that closer coordination would help reduce duplication in research activities and create more aligned approaches to addressing Africa’s economic priorities.
As part of the new cooperation framework, the AfDB and World Bank will increase technical exchanges, coordinate annual research agendas, organise joint country missions and strengthen links between research findings and development operations on the ground.
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Officials said the objective is to ensure that economic analysis and policy recommendations are better tailored to the needs of individual countries while avoiding parallel studies on similar issues.
The World Bank delegation, led by Seynabou Sakho, Regional Director for West and Central Africa Prosperity, presented the institution’s strategy focused on crisis response, economic resilience and large-scale job creation.
The approach places emphasis on addressing fiscal pressures and employment challenges, which remain among the biggest concerns facing many African economies.
Africa’s growing young population presents both an opportunity and a challenge, with governments under pressure to create enough jobs while maintaining economic stability and improving living standards.
Representing the AfDB, Kevin Chika Urama, Chief Economist and Vice-President for Economic Governance and Knowledge Management, outlined the bank’s latest research agenda and flagship economic reports.
He highlighted findings from the African Macroeconomic Performance and Outlook 2026 and the African Economic Outlook 2026, which examine economic trends, growth prospects and policy priorities across the continent.
Urama also presented research on the economic impact of tensions in the Middle East on African economies, proposals for an African Financial Stability Mechanism, and new approaches to measuring natural capital as part of efforts to improve Africa’s wealth accounting systems.
He said the AfDB’s research agenda is developed through consultations with African governments and international partners, including the African Union Commission, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD, the International Labour Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
The two institutions agreed to align future research around several shared priorities.
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These include economic governance, fiscal stability, tax reforms, public service delivery, access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises, youth employment, climate policy and the transition to sustainable energy.
They also plan to work together on understanding Africa’s position in a global economy increasingly shaped by geopolitical tensions, shifting trade patterns and changing investment flows.
The partnership comes as African countries face multiple economic pressures, including high debt levels, limited fiscal space and the need to accelerate industrialisation while responding to climate change.
Development experts have increasingly called for stronger collaboration among international financial institutions to ensure that research and financing efforts are coordinated and deliver greater impact.
The AfDB and World Bank said the expanded partnership will support evidence-based policymaking and help African governments design strategies that promote inclusive growth, resilience and long-term economic transformation.
