YOUNG African entrepreneurs are urging the African Development Bank (AfDB) to increase its support for female entrepreneurs, youth innovators, and business creators to tackle poverty and unemployment on the continent. The call came during a panel discussion titled Our world, our experience, held as part of the AfDB’s 60th-anniversary celebrations.
During the discussion, Jean-François Yao, Regional Policy Advisor at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), commended the AfDB’s approach to integrating humanitarian efforts into development projects. Yao highlighted a pilot project in the Sahel, which supported vulnerable women and widows affected by regional crises, empowering them to rebuild their lives.
‘A Malian woman who sold doughnuts received CFA200,000, which allowed her to expand her business and send three of her six children to private school,’ Yao said. The project’s success, he added, shows the transformative impact of targeted financial support.
This partnership between the AfDB and the ICRC has expanded, with a recent memorandum of understanding facilitating a humanitarian project in South Sudan, benefiting over one million displaced people.
While acknowledging the bank’s contributions, private sector representatives called for clearer, more visible actions from the AfDB, particularly in job creation and innovation. Christelle Essim Egue, an Ivorian entrepreneur, shared how the bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative helped her expand her business, Pam Holding. She received CFA 40 million in financing, allowing her company to thrive and develop new product lines.
Lamin Barro, CEO of the start-up Etudesk, emphasised the need for the AfDB to focus on youth innovation. Barro, whose company provides online training, said, ‘The bank must help young Africans create and innovate,’ adding that incubators should be present in every African university to foster technological advancements in AI and blockchain.
Stéphane Aka-Anghui, Executive Director of the General Confederation of Businesses in Côte d’Ivoire, stressed the private sector’s role in generating jobs. He proposed a partnership with the AfDB to support Africa’s industrialisation, innovation, and job creation. ‘The Ivorian government aims to create eight million jobs by 2030,’ he said, underscoring the importance of supporting businesses to achieve this goal.
AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina, who delivered a keynote speech at the event, was invited by Aka-Anghui to address Côte d’Ivoire’s business leaders, further inspiring them to champion Africa’s economic future.
These discussions reflect growing demands from young African entrepreneurs for the AfDB to strengthen its role in supporting innovation, job creation, and women’s empowerment across the continent.
