Story By: Akua Oteng Amponsah
Ghana, The Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Sudan have jointly pledged $16 million to the African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional arm of the African Development Bank Group.
This collective pledge, more than triple the $5 million committed in the previous cycle, was formalized at a constituency meeting on the margins of the Bank’s Annual Meetings in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The pledge represents a 220% increase in funding and a powerful signal of African ownership in shaping the continent’s development future. Ghana committed $5 million, while Sudan, Liberia, and Sierra Leone each pledged $3 million. The Gambia followed with a $2 million pledge.
“This is our moment to position our countries not as passive recipients, but as agile reformers and credible investment destinations,” outgoing Sierra Leonean Finance Minister Sheku Bangura noted, urging member states to anchor domestic resource mobilization and private sector development in their national strategies.
The increase raises the number of contributing African countries to the ADF from 8 to 13, reflecting a 62.5% rise in African participation. Each of the five countries has pursued bold fiscal and governance reforms that align with the Bank’s new emphasis on the performance, selectivity, and co-financing.
The Gambia, for instance, doubled its tax-to-GDP ratio within two years, while Ghana has scaled up domestic revenue through digital compliance tools and tax reforms.
