EBID President calls for stronger regional finance to build a more resilient, integrated and prosperous West Africa at RAF 2026
At a High-Level Hard Talk session at the Rebranding Africa Forum 2026 in Brussels, Dr Donkor, President of EBID, laid out a clear-eyed vision for what it will take to build a stronger West Africa. His address centered on financing people, prosperity and regional integration, connecting the dots between the region's enormous potential and the very real gaps that still stand in the way.
Dr Donkor pointed to five pillars he sees as non-negotiable: reliable energy, modern transport, digital infrastructure, industrialisation and investment in human capital. These priorities sit at the heart of EBID's Growth, Resilience and Optimisation Strategy for 2026 to 2030, a framework the Bank is using to guide its focus on strategic investment, sustainability and deeper regional ties.
He was candid about the obstacles. Limited long-term financing, cautious risk perceptions and a shortage of bankable projects are still slowing things down. EBID's response has been to step in as a structuring force, helping shape viable projects, lowering investment risk and pulling in innovative financing to direct capital toward high-impact work.
The numbers behind the Bank's commitment are hard to ignore. EBID has deployed over USD 6 billion across more than 330 projects in its fifteen Member States, touching everything from infrastructure and energy to healthcare, education and financial services.
Dr Donkor closed with a direct call to governments, development partners, institutional investors and the private sector to sharpen their collaboration. "The West Africa of tomorrow will not be built through ambition alone," he said. The question now is who shows up to finance it.
Originally published by African Business.