The African Development Bank Group and UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) have partnered to scale up sustainable urbanisation in Africa.
The two, who already have an agreement on water and sanitation delivery, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the 1 July 2025, at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) in Seville, Spain.
The plan is to coordinate efforts to mobilize resources for urban development in Africa, including the World Urban Forum and the Africa Investment Forum.
Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, said “I believe that there are ways that we can use the capital markets to develop cities much better. I am delighted that the Bank and UN-Habitat are partnering on the development of cities – I am very excited about this partnership.”
He continued to say cities are the engine of growth.
Africa’s population is projected to reach 2.4 billion by 2050.
Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, said “urbanization in Africa can either be a driver of prosperity or a deepening of poverty and exclusion. Through this renewed collaboration with the African Development Bank, we aim to help cities become engines of resilience, equity, and climate action, leaving no one behind.”
Most recently, UN-Habitat and the Bank Group signed a service agreement to prepare the Eswatini EcoCity Masterplan under an integrated urban and agricultural initiative that aims to deliver sustainable housing and create economic opportunities for over 100,000 people in Eswatini.
Picture: AfDBPresident Adelina and UN -Habitat Executive Director- Anacláudia Rossbach.