AfDB Injects $125 Million Into ATIDI to Support African Trade and Investment
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a $125 million equity investment in the African Trade and Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI), strengthening one of the continent’s key institutions for managing trade and investment risks.
The funding, approved by the Bank’s Board of Directors on 22 May, will boost ATIDI’s capital base and expand its ability to offer political risk and credit insurance products to businesses and investors operating across Africa.
The move comes as African countries push to increase cross-border trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) while attracting more private-sector investment into sectors such as infrastructure, manufacturing and energy.
ATIDI, formerly known as the African Trade Insurance Agency, provides insurance solutions that protect businesses against political and commercial risks. By reducing investor uncertainty, the institution helps unlock financing for projects that might otherwise struggle to secure funding.
Solomon Quaynor, AfDB Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialisation, said the investment aligns with the Bank’s 2024–2033 strategy to mobilise more private capital for Africa’s development. He added that the initiative also supports AfCFTA’s goal of expanding regional trade across the continent.
ATIDI Chief Executive Officer Manuel Moses described the investment as another milestone in the partnership between the two organisations. AfDB became a member of ATIDI in 2013, and both institutions have since worked together to support development projects and expand risk-mitigation tools across Africa.
The investment reflects a growing continental focus on strengthening African financial institutions capable of reducing investment risks and supporting economic integration. Improved access to trade and political risk insurance is widely seen as a key requirement for increasing intra-African trade and advancing the African Union’s Agenda 2063 development goals.
As African economies seek new sources of growth, the expanded partnership between AfDB and ATIDI is expected to help channel more investment into projects that support industrialisation, regional connectivity and long-term economic development.
