African Development Bank (AfDB/ADB)

The African Development Bank (AfDB, also referred to as ADB in its own documents) is the continent's main multilateral development institution, financing infrastructure, agriculture, industrialisation, and social development projects across all 54 African countries, with record new investment commitments of USD 11 billion in 2024.

What is the African Development Bank (AfDB/ADB)?

AfDB operates from its headquarters in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, with a total portfolio of roughly USD 68 billion. It is owned by 54 regional member countries (African nations) and 28 non-regional members (countries from Europe, Asia, and the Americas that contribute capital but are not the primary beneficiaries). Unlike most other multilateral development banks, AfDB has two distinct funding windows that carry different eligibility rules, which is one of the most practically important things a supplier needs to understand before bidding on any AfDB-financed project.

The African Development Bank proper (the ADB window) lends to middle-income African countries on near-commercial terms and restricts bidding to firms from rmc (Regional Member Countries), meaning African nations only. The adf (African Development Fund), AfDB's concessional window for the poorest countries, has universal eligibility: firms from any country worldwide can bid. Both windows publish procurement notices on the AfDB portal, but eligibility is determined by the funding source, not the portal where the notice appears.

Why AfDB matters for bidders

AfDB's infrastructure focus, particularly roads, energy, water, and ports across Africa, generates a large and sustained pipeline of civil works, equipment supply, and consulting contracts. For non-African firms, the critical first step before pursuing any AfDB opportunity is to confirm whether the relevant project is funded through the ADB window (regional-only eligibility) or the adf window (universal eligibility). Investing time in a bid for an ADB-window contract as a non-African company leads to automatic disqualification. AfDB notices are published in both English and French, reflecting the bilingual nature of the continent, so monitoring both language versions is necessary for complete coverage. AfDB has also participated in the cross-debarment agreement among the five major MDBs since 2010, meaning a debarment by any one bank applies to all five simultaneously.

FAQ

What is the difference between AfDB and ADB in AfDB documents?

AfDB refers to the African Development Bank Group as a whole. Within the group, "ADB" refers specifically to the African Development Bank's hard-window lending facility, while "ADF" refers to the African Development Fund concessional window. This ADB label is different from the Asian Development Bank, which also uses the ADB acronym.

Which countries can bid on ADF-funded contracts?

The African Development Fund has universal eligibility, meaning firms from all countries worldwide, whether regional or non-regional AfDB members, can bid on ADF-financed contracts.

Where are AfDB procurement notices published?

Notices appear on the AfDB procurement portal at afdb.org and are published in both English and French. AfDB does not have a public REST API, but notices are accessible via the web portal.