African Development Report 2004: Africa in the World Economy Africa in the Global Trading System Economic and Social Statistics on Africa

The African Development Bank Group is a regional multilateral development finance institution the members of which are all of the 53 countries in Africa and 25 countries from Asia, the Middle East, Europe, North and South America. The purpose of the Bank is to further the economic development and social progress of African countries, individually and collectively. To this end, the Bank promotes the investment of public and private capital for development, primarily by providing loans and grants for projects and programs that contribute to poverty reduction and broad-based sustainable development in Africa. The non-concessional operations of the Bank are financed from its ordinary capital resources. In addition, the Bank's soft window affiliates - the African Development Fund and the Nigeria Trust Fund - provide concessional financing to low-income countries that are not able to sustain loans on market terms. By the end of 2003, the African Development Bank Group cumulatively approved 2,786 loans and grants for commitments amounting to over US$44.2 billion. The commitments were made to 52 regional member countries and institutions to support development projects and programs in agriculture, transport, public utilities, industry, education, and health sectors. Since the mid-1980s, a significant share of commitments has also gone to promoting economic reform and adjustment programs that help to accelerate socio-economic development. About two-thirds of total Bank Group commitments were financed on non-concessional terms, while the balance benefited from concessional financing.