Temiloluwa OPeters
the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the African Development Fund, the concessional arm of the African Development Bank Group, have signed a loan agreement of $668.1m to support the 15th replenishment of the ADF (ADF-15).
During a virtual ceremony, AfDB President, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, and Japanese Ambassador to Côte dIvoire, Kuramitsu Hideaki, signed an Exchange of Notes, while the loan agreement was signed by the JICA Chief Representative in Côte dIvoire, Fujino Kojiro and acting AfDB Senior Vice President, Swazi Tshabalala.
According to a statement issued by AfDB on Wednesday, the JICA loan, the largest to ADF-15, will support the 15th replenishment of the African Development Fund, approved in December 2019 by ADF donor countries.
Adesina pointed out that Japans concessional donor loan was almost 10 per cent of the total ADF-15 resources of $7.5bn.
He added that Japan was also the largest provider of concessional donor loans under the African Development Funds 14th replenishment and had contributed a total of $4.6bn to the Enhanced Private Sector Assistance Initiative, a joint flagship project with the bank.
Japan continues to add great value to the overall replenishment cycles of the African Development Fund, Adesina said, adding that the latest loan will greatly boost the liquidity of the ADF and allow us to ramp up much-needed support to the ADF countries.
Hideaki said the loan formed part of Japans commitment to promote industrial human resource development, innovation and investment, and to invest in quality infrastructure to enhance connectivity.
At the same conference, Japan also announced that it would contribute to phase four of the EPSA initiative.
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