On 15 – 16 December 2025, the United Kingdom and Ghana co-hosted the final meeting of the 17th replenishment of the African Development Fund (ADF-17), mobilising USD$11 billion in concessional financing for the continent. With hunger continuing to rise across Africa, the ADF-17 is an important opportunity to break the cycle of food crises with long-term sustainable investments in agriculture, nutrition and food systems transformation.
What is the ADF?
The ADF is the concessional lending arm of the African Development Bank (AfDB). It provides technical expertise and concessional financing in the form of grants and low-interest loans to 37 low-income countries across the continent, of which half are fragile settings. It is a critical source of financing for countries facing the multiple, compounding crises of food insecurity, malnutrition, climate change, poverty and inequality amid unsustainable debt burdens that inhibit both domestic humanitarian response and long-term investments in resilience. The ADF has helped countries deliver on their national development plans with impressive results:
90 million people have improved food security and 11.7 million farmers received enhanced agricultural support between 2015-2024.
Running from 2026 to 2028, ADF-17 will be guided by the AfDB’s Ten-Year Strategy (2024- 2033) and its two objectives of accelerating inclusive green growth and driving prosperous, resilient economies across Africa. In particular, its operational priority, “Feed Africa,” sets out a vision for sustainably intensified, diversified, and resilient food systems that strengthen rural livelihoods and food security across the continent.
Why is the ADF important for ending the global food crisis on the continent?
Hunger and malnutrition continue to rise in almost all subregions of Africa. 1 in 5 people across the African continent are chronically hungry, and 113 million more people are affected by hunger now than at the start of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. Of the 16 hunger hotspots across the globe – the areas most at risk of worsening levels of food insecurity in the coming six months – 9 (over half) can be found in Africa alone. At the same time, many African countries face a rising debt burden that forces governments to spend more on debt servicing than on health, education, agriculture or social protection.
But the ADF can be a game-changer. Concessional, predictable and low-cost financing through ADF can ease fiscal pressures and expand countries’ ability to invest and scale up cost-effective, evidence-based interventions that save lives now and build resilience. We know that investing in food security and nutrition, smallholder agriculture and food systems transformation will improve lives and livelihoods on the continent. These tried and tested investments boost human capital, enable a healthy and productive labour force, create rural jobs, reduce the cost of a diverse and healthy diet and ultimately can lift millions of people out of poverty whilst building resilience in the face of climate change. Sustainable financing from ADF could significantly accelerate efforts to achieve SDG2, particularly through the 2026-2035 CAADP Strategy that commits to ending hunger and poverty on the continent through agricultural-led growth.
What do we know of ADF-17?
As part of the leaders declaration from the G20 in South Africa last month, the ADF was acknowledged as ‘playing a crucial role in driving poverty reduction, economic growth, and development’ opportunity. African countries are already stepping up to fund the ADF-17 with 13 countries announcing early commitments, up from six in ADF-16. However, with many traditional donors cutting their overseas development budgets, there was a considerable risk that the replenishment would fall short of its goal of matching ADF-16 level of financing at USD$8.9 billion.
As co-host of the final ADF-17 meeting in December, co-hosts Ghana and the United Kingdom played a critical role in helping to shape and raise the level of ambition for the replenishment. In its largest replenishment to date, ADF-17 successfully mobilised USD$11 billion in commitments, leveraging concessional co-financing partnerships and new leadership from African countries.
With 60% of the world’s hungry people projected to live in Africa in 2030, this critical source of financing must prioritise food security and nutrition to ensure that Africa not only feeds itself but also helps to feed the world.
Rosie Cowper – Policy and Advocacy Officer, SDG2 Advocacy Hub
