The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has formally joined the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII), partnering with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat during the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi to advance continent-wide clean industrial development.
The agreement, signed in the presence of African heads of state and global business leaders at a summit hosted under the leadership of Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto, adds significant international financial weight to Africa-led industrialisation efforts anchored within the AfCFTA framework.
AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene witnessed the signing ceremony, which formally brings EBRD into the AGII partnership alongside African development finance institutions and other strategic partners already committed to the initiative.
The partnership is expected to strengthen collaboration on project preparation, investment mobilisation and the development of cross-border industrial ecosystems designed to support Africa’s transition toward low-carbon economic growth. EBRD’s entry into the framework is also expected to broaden access to financing and technical expertise for green industrial projects considered commercially viable across African markets.
The agreement reflects growing recognition among policymakers and international financiers that Africa’s industrial transformation requires tighter coordination between trade institutions, development banks and governments to scale investments beyond fragmented national initiatives.
Clean energy, sustainable infrastructure and regional manufacturing value chains sit at the centre of AGII’s focus, forming part of broader AfCFTA efforts to promote industrial competitiveness, regional integration and intra-African trade through sustainable production systems.
