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Make Domestic Resource Mobilization Work for Africa’s Structural Transformation (By Adamon Mukasa and Anthony Simpasa)

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2 years ago

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African Development Bank

The implementation of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 for sustainable development and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 hinges on Africa’s ability to mobilize sufficient and timely financial resources

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, August 27, 2024/APO Group/ — 

By  Adamon Mukasa and Anthony Simpasa

The implementation of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 for sustainable development (https://apo-opa.co/4g2kWSb) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 (https://apo-opa.co/4767Ak0) hinges on Africa’s ability to mobilize sufficient and timely financial resources. The recently released African Economic Outlook (AEO) 2024 (https://apo-opa.co/3yWpFEs) report by the African Development Bank estimates that the continent needs to close, by 2030, an annual financing gap of US$402.2 billion to fast-track its structural transformation process. Scaling up domestic resource mobilization (DRM) will be key to achieving that objective. 

African governments have always recognised the central role of increased mobilization and effective use of domestic resources to achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) and other national development objectives. Through the 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda (https://apo-opa.co/4cG67ly), African leaders reaffirmed their commitment to “further strengthening the mobilization and effective use of domestic resources”, underscored by the principle of national ownership established in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (https://apo-opa.co/3WZXZ9v). African governments have thus stepped up their policy levers towards improvement of DRM and combatting tax evasion and avoidance. These initiatives include, for example, the work of the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) (https://apo-opa.co/3ARAhEU), the High-Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) (https://apo-opa.co/4cK2efo), the African Union Assembly Special Declaration on IFFs (https://apo-opa.co/4g1ixXN), the Africa Initiative of the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for tax purposes (https://apo-opa.co/4gfrvRJ), the African Tax Administration Forum (https://apo-opa.co/4dWXpA9), and the establishment of Medium-Term Revenue Strategies (MTRS) (https://apo-opa.co/3MjW4HY). These initiatives emphasize the need for mobilization of domestic resources at scale and addressing resource leakages. 

Scaling up resources to fast-track structural transformation in Africa will require addressing underlying challenges and constraints to domestic resource mobilization

Stocktaking of Africa’s DRM progress 
Africa has increasingly mobilized its domestic resources to finance its development priorities in sectors such as health and education, infrastructure development, industrialization, and agriculture. In absolute terms, Africa’s government revenues (tax and non-tax revenues, excluding grants) increased by almost 40 percent from about US$435 billion in 2015 to US$604 billion in 2022 and are projected to reach about US$626 billion in 2025. Tax revenues account for more than 75 percent of the continent’s total domestically generated revenues. However, in relative terms, the continent underperforms its peers. Data from the AEO 2024 indicate that Africa’s average general government revenue declined substantially from 23.5 percent of GDP in 2010 to 19.3 percent of GDP in 2021. This is due to a steady decline in tax revenues, over the same period, from 16.1 percent of GDP in 2010 to 14.2 percent of GDP in 2021. In particular, since 2015, Africa’s average tax revenue ratio relative to GDP has consistently been below the 15 percent minimum (https://apo-opa.co/3X4DYPi) required for a developing country to adequately finance its SDGs. Africa’s revenue ratio is well below the average for Latin America (23.9 percent) and less than half the average for Europe and Central Asia (31.7 percent). Africa’s average low tax revenue ratio mask significant heterogeneity among individual African countries. As shown in figure 2, the average tax-to-GDP ratio over 2015-2025 falls short of the 15 percent threshold in 34 countries, spread across all of Africa’s five regions, calling therefore for urgent actions to scale up DRM and align it with financing needs for structural transformation. 

Aligning DRM with financing needs for structural transformation 
According to findings in the AEO (2024), African countries need to increase their tax-to-GDP ratio by a median value of about 13.2 percentage points—bringing the current median ratio to 27.2 percent of GDP—to be able to close the estimated financing gap for structural transformation. This is under the assumption that additional mobilized tax revenues are efficiently deployed and allocated to financing structural transformation. While the estimated tax effort may be within reach of many African countries, it remains unattainable for others given their relative low potential tax-to-GDP ratio. Hence, out of the 39 African countries with data on tax capacity, the report found that in 18 countries (46.2 percent of them), the level of tax-to-GDP ratio required to mobilize resources for structural transformation exceeds the maximum amount of tax revenues that could be collected given socioeconomic and institutional factors (Figure 3). This means that even if those countries exhaust their current tax capacity, they may not be able to close their respective estimated financing gap by 2030. 

Scaling up resources to fast-track structural transformation in Africa will require addressing underlying challenges and constraints to domestic resource mobilization. These challenges  include inter alia: i) High levels of informality (about 86 percent of total jobs on the continent are informal) (https://apo-opa.co/3T4YKwQ); ii)  Weak tax administration capacities (https://apo-opa.co/4cKmfm3), leading to inefficient tax collection; iii) Complex tax law and rules, which reduce compliance rates; iv) Low domestic savings (prior to the pandemic, Africa had one of the lowest gross domestic savings rates in the world, at 13.6 percent of GDP)1; v)  Endemic corruption (https://apo-opa.co/4g2luaH) (Africa loses annually in IFFs about US$89 billion) (https://apo-opa.co/3MmfvzX); and vi) Inefficient and expensive tax collection systems. 

On the last point in particular, data suggest that between 2000 and 2021 African countries collected only 24 percent of the VAT revenues annually – the lowest rate in the world – that they could otherwise have collected with full compliance and without tax exemptions. The AEO (2024) report has therefore estimated that by just increasing the VAT efficiency ratio to the level currently achieved by high-performing developing countries in other regions—those with a VAT efficiency rate of at least 70 percent—African countries could raise their current median VAT revenues (as a share of GDP) by as much as 7.9 percentage points, equivalent to a median value of about US$1.9 billion. In aggregate terms, improving VAT efficiency ratio could translate into additional VAT revenues of US$171 billion (or 42.5 percent of Africa’s US$402.2 billion financing gap).    

There is a long way to go to make DRM work for Africa’s structural transformation. To move fast, policy priority should be given to improving the transparency of the tax system, widen the tax base, enhance enforcement, mitigate compliance risks, and ultimately stimulate voluntary compliance by strengthening the social contract via enhanced provision of public goods and services to address widespread implicit taxation and increase compliance; increasing non-tax revenues such as property income, royalties, fines, penalties, forfeits, and business permits; enhance the formalization of the informal economy and, digitalization of tax collection systems to curb corruption, thereby enhance revenue collection.  

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

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Energy

U.S.-Africa Energy & Minerals Forum Expands to Critical Minerals and Supply Chain Security

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1 day ago

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February 27, 2026

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Africa

This year’s U.S.-Africa Energy & Minerals Forum in Houston signals a strategic shift toward integrated energy and critical minerals investment, strengthening U.S. partnerships across Africa’s resource and industrial value chains

HOUSTON, United States of America, February 26, 2026/APO Group/ –The U.S.-Africa Energy & Minerals Forum (USAEMF) has relaunched with a dedicated focus on critical minerals, marking an important evolution in its role as a platform for U.S.-Africa commercial engagement. Building on its foundation in energy, power and industrial projects, the forum’s expanded scope positions it at the center of investment conversations shaping the future energy economy.

 

Scheduled for July 21–22, 2026, in Houston, Texas, USAEMF comes at a time of surging global demand for copper, cobalt, lithium, manganese and rare earth elements, driven by electrification, battery storage, AI infrastructure and advanced manufacturing. Africa is increasingly critical to securing these materials, highlighting how energy and minerals are now interconnected pillars of industrial growth, geopolitical stability and decarbonization.

The forum’s minerals mandate deepens engagement with African producers – particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), home to some of the world’s largest copper and cobalt reserves. Momentum is building through the U.S.–DRC strategic minerals framework and the U.S.-backed Orion Critical Mineral Consortium, a major investment platform supported by the DFC and private partners. The consortium is pursuing a 40% stake in the Mutanda and Kamoto copper-cobalt operations in a $9 billion transaction, securing long-term supply for allied markets while reinforcing cooperation on infrastructure, security and supply-chain governance.

Placing critical minerals at the center while maintaining strong hydrocarbons engagement strengthens U.S.-Africa commercial ties

U.S. financing is also expanding across the region, with the DFC managing a continental portfolio exceeding $13 billion to support mining, processing and transport infrastructure for critical mineral supply chains. Recent commitments include rare earth, graphite and potash projects in Malawi, Mozambique and Gabon; broader investments in Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa; and $553 million linked to the development of the Lobito Corridor. The DFC is also a major backer of TechMet, a U.S.-supported investment firm valued at over $1 billion, which is raising up to $200 million to expand copper, cobalt, lithium and rare earth assets and pursue new opportunities across the DRC and Zambia. Together, these initiatives underscore Washington’s push to diversify battery-mineral supply while positioning Africa as a long-term partner in clean energy and industrial value chains.

Houston’s role as host city reflects the alignment between American industrial capacity and African resource development. Long established as a global energy hub, the city is expanding into energy transition technologies, advanced materials, carbon management and industrial innovation. By convening African governments with U.S. private equity, development finance institutions, exporters, insurers and technical service providers, the forum creates a commercial platform capable of converting mineral potential into bankable projects.

“The evolution from USAEF to USAEMF reflects a broader shift toward integrated energy and mineral development,” states Nadine Levin, Portfolio Director at Energy Capital & Power, forum organizers. “Placing critical minerals at the center while maintaining strong hydrocarbons engagement strengthens U.S.-Africa commercial ties and advances projects that deliver long-term shared value.”

While critical minerals define the forum’s strategic expansion, the U.S.’ longstanding role in Africa’s energy sector remains central to the platform’s value proposition. American energy companies continue to advance exploration and development across key upstream markets, support gas monetization in the Gulf of Guinea and revitalize mature production in North Africa. U.S. export credit and development finance are also helping unlock large-scale LNG capacity in Mozambique while supporting optimization and expansion across existing gas infrastructure in West Africa – demonstrating how American capital, engineering expertise and risk-mitigation tools convert resource potential into delivered energy systems.

USAEMF is the leading platform connecting U.S. capital and technical expertise with Africa’s energy and minerals sectors. For more information or to participate at the upcoming forum, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

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Business

Pesalink and Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) Unlock Cross-Border Payments in Local Currencies in Kenya

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1 day ago

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February 27, 2026

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Pesalink

The Pesalink–PAPSS partnership will reduce costs, speed up settlements, and help individuals, SMEs and businesses send money more efficiently across borders

NAIROBI, Kenya, February 26, 2026/APO Group/ —

  • Instant 24/7 bank-to-bank transfers across African borders in local currencies.
  • Simpler cross-border payments for individuals, businesses, and SMEs.
  • 80 plus Pesalink network participants now linked to 160 plus PAPSS participating banks.

 

Pesalink, Kenya’s de facto instant payment network, has partnered with the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) to ease cross-border payment and speed up regional financial integration.

 

The partnership enables instant 24/7 cross-border payments from PAPSS participants into banks and mobile money operators within the Pesalink network in Kenya, all settled in local currencies. This reduces complex correspondent banking requirements and reliance on foreign reserve currencies.

 

Kenyan banks will now be able to offer faster, cheaper cross-border payments

PAPSS, an initiative of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in collaboration with the African Union and the AfCFTA Secretariat, enables cross-border payments between African countries. Pesalink is now a Technical Connectivity Provider. It means that 80 plus Kenyan bank, fintech, SACCO and telco participants on the Pesalink network will be connected to 160 plus commercial banks and fintechs on the PAPSS platform.

 

Cross-border payments remain expensive and slow for many African businesses. The 2023 (http://apo-opa.co/4baDSh7) World Bank Remittance Prices report indicates that sending money across African borders incurs on average 7-8% of the total value sent (above the global average of 6–7%). Settlement can also take three to seven business days.

 

The Pesalink–PAPSS partnership will reduce costs, speed up settlements, and help individuals, SMEs and businesses send money more efficiently across borders.

 

Speaking during the partnership signing held at Pesalink offices in Nairobi, PAPSS CEO Mike Ogbalu III said, “For PAPSS to deliver true impact, collaboration with national and private switches like Pesalink is essential. Pesalink is the first switch we’ve piloted for transaction termination in Kenya, and we are already seeing greater adoption by opening more channels for seamless, local-currency cross-border payments across Africa.”

 

Pesalink CEO, Gituku Kirika, said “Kenyan banks will now be able to offer faster, cheaper cross-border payments. They will be helping their customers grow more regional trading relationships and thrive in a more integrated digital economy.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

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Events

Africa Trade Conference Returns to Cape Town with Esteemed Speakers Driving Africa’s Trade Agenda

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1 day ago

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February 27, 2026

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Africa

Second edition convenes global policymakers, business leaders, and innovators to accelerate Africa’s integration into global trade

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, February 26, 2026/APO Group/ –Access Bank Plc (www.AccessBankPLC.com) is proud to announce the distinguished line-up of speakers for the second edition of the Africa Trade Conference (ATC 2026), scheduled to take place on March 11, 2026, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town, South Africa. Building on the strong foundation of its inaugural edition, ATC 2026 will convene an exceptional assembly of global and African leaders, policymakers, investors, and business executives committed to shaping the future of trade on the continent.

The Africa Trade Conference has rapidly emerged as a premier platform for advancing dialogue and action around Africa’s evolving role in global commerce. The 2026 edition will feature influential voices from across finance, government, development institutions, and the private sector, who will share insights on unlocking trade opportunities, strengthening intra-African commerce, enabling business expansion, and positioning African enterprises for global competitiveness.

The confirmed speakers represent a powerful cross-section of leaders driving Africa’s economic transformation.

Building on the momentum of its maiden edition, which convened senior decision-makers from 28 countries, the 2026 conference with the theme “Turning Vision into Velocity: Building Africa’s Trade Ecosystem for Real-World Impact”, will have the keynote address delivered by Kennedy Mbekeani, Director General, Southern Africa Region, African Development Bank (AfDB), alongside Kwabena Ayirebi, Managing Director, Banking Operations at the African Export-Import Bank. Their joint keynote will address the evolving financing landscape for African trade and the strategic pathways for unlocking continental prosperity.

The welcome address will be delivered by Roosevelt Ogbonna, CEO/GMD, Access Bank Plc, who will set the tone for discussions centered on trade transformation, financial inclusion, and regional competitiveness, while Tolu Oyekan, Managing Director & Partner at Boston Consulting Group, will deliver insights on “Africa Trade Outlook 2026”, examining emerging macroeconomic trends, supply chain shifts, and growth opportunities across key sectors.  The CEO of Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, Mike Ogbalu, will be engaging the conference participants on the topic, “Building a Connected Africa Through Trade, Payments & Technology”, focusing on how payment interoperability and digital infrastructure can accelerate the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agenda.

The calibre of speakers confirmed for this year’s conference underscores the urgency and opportunity before us

The conference will also host a High-Level Ministerial Panel that features Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness & Industry, Ghana; Tiroeaone Ntsima, Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Botswana; Mr. Florian Witt, Divisional Head, International & Corporate Banking Oddo-BHF, Ms. Nathalie Louat – Global Director, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Dr Isaiah Rathumba – Head of Department, Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism and Mr. Alfred Idialu – Chief Rep Officer, Deutsche Bank among other policymakers shaping trade policy across the continent.

Commenting on the announcement, Roosevelt Ogbonna, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, said:
“The Africa Trade Conference reflects our unwavering commitment to advancing Africa’s economic transformation by creating a platform that brings together the leaders, institutions, and ideas shaping the future of trade. The calibre of speakers confirmed for this year’s conference underscores the urgency and opportunity before us. Africa is not only participating in global trade, it is helping to redefine it. Through this convening, we aim to catalyse partnerships, unlock new opportunities for businesses, and accelerate Africa’s integration into global value chains.”

“At Access Bank, we see ourselves not just as financiers, but as connectors of markets, ideas, and opportunities. Our role is to help African businesses move from ambition to impact, from local relevance to global competitiveness.”

With operations in 24 countries globally, including 16 across Africa, Access Bank’s expansive footprint places it in a unique position to facilitate cross-border trade, unlock regional value chains, and simplify the complexities of doing business across markets.

“Our presence across Africa and key global corridors gives us a front-row seat to the realities of trade. It also gives us the responsibility to design solutions that are inclusive, scalable, and future facing. ATC 2026 is part of that commitment, Ogbonna added.

ATC 2026 is expected to catalyze partnerships, enable policy dialogue, and provide actionable strategies for businesses operating within and beyond the continent.

The Access Bank Chief puts it thus, “Africa will not be a spectator in the remaking of global trade. We will be one of its architects. ATC 2026 is where those blueprints will be drawn.”

For more information and registration, please visit https://apo-opa.co/4sdXWF7

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Access Bank PLC.

 

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