Equatorial Guinea: the African Development Bank reviews its $167 million project portfolio

 

The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org/) held a joint review of its project portfolio in the Republic of Equatorial Guinea in Malabo from 27 to 31 October.

An action plan to improve the portfolio’s performance was approved at the end of the meeting. Stakeholders plan to set up a coordinated project monitoring system, establish rigorous mechanisms for monitoring contractual commitments and ensure compliance with financial obligations as part of an action plan to improve the portfolio’s performance.

The workshop, which brought together ministerial representatives, technical partners and project management teams, provided an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of the Bank Group’s interventions in the country and to chart the course for future investments aligned with the government of Equatorial Guinea’s Agenda 2035.

The review covered various projects, including the Public Finance Modernization Support Programme (PAMFP), the Support for the Development of Value Chains in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector (PASPA) (https://apo-opa.co/3LDvTyV) and the Feasibility study project for Support for the Strengthening of the Digital Ecosystem (PARED) (https://apo-opa.co/4nWt6yo).

The joint portfolio analysis highlighted several obstacles to project effectiveness: slow start-up, delays in setting up management units and delays in the issuance of no-objection notices by the Bank Group. Added to this are the teams’ limited technical capacities and their lack of knowledge of the pan-African institution’s procedures for procurement, disbursement and financial management.

“The Bank is developing close management relations with project management units and stepping up capacity building through targeted training in fiduciary management and monitoring and evaluation,” said Mouhamed Gueye, Divisional  Manager for Social Development and Human Capital for Central and North Africa, representing Léandre Bassolé, Director General of the Bank Group for Central Africa. “We are also maintaining close dialogue with partners to mobilize more co-financing under the 2026 lending programme and beyond,” he added.

“This exercise had several objectives: to ensure that our actions are aligned with Agenda 2035, to review our project portfolio in detail, to identify shortcomings in their implementation and to assess their level of progress,” explained Ladislao Ndong Ndong Bisó, Director General of Economic and Financial Organizations, representing Ivan Bacale Ebe Molina, Minister of Finance, Planning, Economic Development and the Budget. “The results will help define the direction and financing terms for future projects,” he said.

Several complementary activities were organized following the workshop. In particular, a fiduciary clinic for project managers helped to strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the new accounting framework and the Bank’s financial management rules and procedures. In addition, a €58.61 million loan agreement was signed between the Bank Group and Equatorial Guinea for the implementation of the Project to Strengthen Human Capital in Support of Economic and Social Inclusion (PARCH) (https://apo-opa.co/3K1xEFG). Finally, a field visit to the PASPA project allowed the Bank’s delegation to note major progress in the construction of aquaculture infrastructure, which is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2026.

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea has been a member of the African Development Bank Group since 1975. The institution’s first financing dates back to December 1978 for a cocoa tree regeneration project worth nearly $9 million. To date, Equatorial Guinea has benefited from 53 operations financed by the Bank Group, with a cumulative commitment of $337.30 million.

The Bank Group’s active portfolio in Equatorial Guinea comprises six projects with a cumulative value of approximately $167 million. These investments are strategically distributed across several key sectors: social sector (42.2 percent), agriculture (38.6 percent), governance (18.5 percent) and communications, ICT and energy (0.7 percent).

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

Media contact:
Solange Kamuanga-Tossou
Department of Communications and External Relations African Development Bank
email: media@afdb.org