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Africa: With the World At a Crossroads, Robust IDA Is More Critical Than Ever

Published

1 month ago

December 6, 2024

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Low-cost financing is not just a lifeline for low-income countries but the world’s collective future in a time of uncertainty.
As the International Development Association (IDA) replenishment meeting in South Korea begins today, it’s clear that, with the shifting geopolitical landscape, the global community is at a crossroads.
For many African nations, which make up more than half of IDA recipient countries, recent geopolitical and global economic crises have effectively turned back the clock, leaving our countries relatively poorer and more vulnerable to climate change, conflict, and the whims of a global financial system that remains unresponsive to the continent’s needs. The latest round of pledges will determine the size of the IDA’s concessional financing for low-income countries’ development, and, in many ways, the future of their populations.
The last IDA replenishment in 2021 totalled $93 billion for use on vital projects, ranging from expanding electricity in Tanzania, improving water and sanitation in Malawi, and enrolling millions of girls in school in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
But that record-breaking investment overshadowed signs of wavering donor commitment to the IDA. Wealthy nations’ official development assistance has sunk to a two-decade low as a percentage of GDP. Higher interest rates have made borrowing more expensive, and a strong US dollar means that simply maintaining previous investment levels would cost 23% more today in donor countries’ local currencies.
This stark reality imperils the impact of the IDA, which has become the single-largest source of low-cost financing for low-income countries.
In April, African heads of state called for a replenishment topping $120 billion. But commitments from donors have arrived slowly, with a limited number of states like Denmark, Spain, and Latvia announcing increased commitments. In the face of donor hesitance, there are concerns that the IDA might look to meet its replenishment goal by changing the terms of the funding, reducing the number of grants, and increasing the cost of the loans.
However, more onerous terms that would increase the sovereign debt of African borrowers are a nonstarter. Debt in many countries across the continent has already ballooned, devouring national budgets, and severely limiting their ability to raise development capital on reasonable terms. In 2024, African countries will pay some $90 billion in external debt service alone, thus diverting scarce resources away from investment in the sustainable development goals and climate resilience. Under these circumstances, it comes as no surprise that only 17% of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets are on track.
What makes IDA finance particularly valuable to African countries is that it funds country-led development programmes, allowing nations to assess and prioritise the needs of their communities to chart their own development path. But development also requires coordinated priorities and regional solutions. African heads of state are pushing common IDA funding priorities centred on job creation, expansion of energy and digital access, and climate resilience.
The roots of these coordinated efforts are already starting to take hold. The African Union’s Agenda 2063 development blueprint includes integration projects like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), pan-African financial institutions, a common digital data network, and a high-speed train network. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that with sustained investment in infrastructure, financial systems and strong regulatory frameworks, AfCFTA could increase intra-African trade by more than 53% and trade with the rest of the world by 15%, boosting real GDP per capita by 10%.
Such opportunities aside, the case for more IDA funding does not solely rest on need, but also on African countries’ ability to improve their absorptive and governance capacity to put the money to work, and the accountability to demonstrate their work. With fiscal space also tightening for donors facing electorates that already feel strapped for cash, committing to accountability is more important than ever.
This is in line with the commitment made by African leaders in Nairobi to promote economic transformation through robust governance, private sector development, and transparent and efficient use of resources mobilised. Moving forward, it is critical that African governments promptly undertake the policies and reforms needed to deliver on these commitments.
More African countries are already taking a proactive approach to financing their own development. Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa contributed to the last IDA replenishment cycle, signalling to donor countries that this is a collaborative investment that, if successful, can create a new generation of self-sustaining donor nations.
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The IDA remains a lifeline for many low- and middle-income countries. It can be the stepping stone to a more effective global financial safety net that can catalyse steady progress towards the aspirations and goals of Agenda 2063. It is also an opportunity for the global community to make inroads into the implementation of the recently adopted Pact for the Future, while planting the seeds for the much-needed success of the upcoming Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development. But for that to happen, we must reimagine it as a tool that better serves Africa by embracing the continent not as a beneficiary of donor funds, but as an equal partnership between borrowers and donors aimed at addressing global challenges and shaping the trajectory of our collective future.
Mahmoud Mohieldin is the UN Special Envoy for Financing the 2030 Development Agenda. Daouda Sembene is the founder and CEO of AfriCatalyst.
Read the original of this report, including embedded links and illustrations, on the African Arguments site.
AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.
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Africa: Will Kenyans Be Allowed Free Entry At CHAN?

Published

12 minutes ago

January 14, 2025

An24 Africa

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Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya remains non-committed on whether fans will be allowed free entry for next month’s African Nations Championships (CHAN).
The CS says they will explore the option and provide a definitive answer by the end of the week.
“On the issue of the payment fee and how the fans will be treated, that is part of the issue that will be discussed by the teams here. We will be giving you a briefing before the end of the week on all those matters,” Mvurya said.
Kenya is set to co-host the continental tournament — featuring players who ply their trade in local leagues — from February 1-28.
Next-door neighbours Uganda and Tanzania are the other co-hosts.
Free entry or not, Mvurya called on the fourth estate to keep spreading the ‘gospel of CHAN’ and entice as many Kenyans as possible to mark their calendars.
“Part of what I have asked the media to work with us is a sensitisation programme, which will be running through for Kenyans so they can appreciate that we have been given an opportunity of a lifetime to ensure we profile our talents, position our country as a tourism destination and enhance investments into different sectors,” he said.
The CS expects Nairobi to be a beehive of activity as tens of thousands of fans from other countries throng the city to partake of their beloved sport.
Preparations on point
Even as the CS called a presser to ramp up excitement for the competition, questions still linger regarding how far the designated venues are from completion.
Mvurya expects all works at the Nyayo Stadium as well as Kasarani to be completed by the end of the week.
“If you look at Nyayo, the major thing left to do is to erect the floodlights…and they have already put the poles in place. In the next two or three days, I expect that they will be done. The other major thing is general cleanliness in and around the stadium. I am satisfied that we are on course and I am confident that Nyayo will be ready by Wednesday,” he said.
The CS added: “At Kasarani, work is also progressing well and by Wednesday I believe it will be complete because they are working round the clock. What is remaining is the installation of the floodlights…around 57 of them…and the laying of the grass, which is going on well. There should be no worries about the readiness of any pitch…all of them will be fit for use as we had planned from the beginning.”
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The draw for the competition is set for Wednesday (January 15) at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi.
It is during the same event that other details, such as venue of the opening match and final, will be known.
Read the original article on Capital FM.
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AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 110 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.
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Africa: Senegal Coach Diallo – 'We Are Not Overwhelmed By the Pressure of Champions'

Published

1 hour ago

January 13, 2025

An24 Africa

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Successor to Pape Thiaw, the man who led Senegal to the title of African champion at the TotalEnergies CHAN 2022 in Algeria, Souleymane Diallo now bears the responsibility of defending the continental crown.
A few weeks before the kick-off of the 2024 TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) to be played in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania from 1-28 February, he shares his state of mind, his team’s preparations and the challenges of this new edition.
With a wealth of experience on the continental stage, Diallo is aware of the expectations placed on him and his squad, which is largely made up of new faces.
In this exclusive interview, he talks about the pressure of being the title holder and the strategic importance of the CHAN for domestic football. The challenge is immense, but Diallo approaches this competition with serenity and a plan, ready to write a new chapter in the history of Senegalese football.
CAFOnline: What is your state of mind a few weeks before the start of the 2024 TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship?
Souleymane Diallo: I have a very good state of mind overall. I think the boys are aware of what is at stake in this competition, but we must not put ourselves under pressure. For me, the most important thing is the first game. We will have to approach it with a very good state of mind, a very good mentality, but above all an African mentality which consists of being serene first and identifying the obstacles we need to tackle.
How are your preparations going?
Overall, very good. The program plan that we have drawn up is proceeding normally. Now, we are in our 14th week, more precisely, including the preparation phases for the qualifiers. From Monday (13 January), we will take the boys in closed groups. We will stay there until the start of the competition. We will have a training camp in a country bordering the three host countries (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania).
Senegal is the title holder. Does this add extra pressure?
No, no pressure! I am used to saying that. Pressure is important in all things. Most importantly, the source of the pressure must first be identified. If you identify the source of the pressure and you identify the nature of the pressure, for me, right now, there’s no more pressure, but there’s situational awareness. It’s true that Senegal is African champion, but don’t forget that the African champion squad is not the same squad as we have at the moment. We only have two survivors (Serigné Koita and Aboudoulaye Dieng). So, we will have to analyse strongly. Does Senegal come with its African champions or does Senegal come with the title of African champion? We have to point out the nuanced difference between these two. But what is most important, we will come to approach this competition in the best possible way, while not hiding our coat as African champions. On the contrary, this awareness of our African champion mantle pushes us to have a much more cautious approach, a much more serene approach.
Why is the CHAN an important competition in your eyes?
The CHAN is a very important competition. I usually tell journalists that. Already, the CHAN reflects the level of competition of the nation itself. Today, the characteristic of the CHAN is that it takes into account players playing in their local championship. Today, I tell my colleagues that we represent the championship itself, the Senegalese championship, because the CHAN will reflect the level of the Senegalese league. That’s why, for me, it’s a special competition, a very important competition.
You were the coach of the Senegalese team at the African Games. How has this pan-African, continental experience been useful to you and will it serve you well for the CHAN?
I think that today, I have a little African experience. This pan-African experience will serve as a support for us to be able to approach this competition. I have had the opportunity to do several African and world competitions. Three Junior World Cups, three Junior African Cups, two African Games. I think we will base ourselves on these experiences, on these African competitions, to be able to approach this competition in the most serene way possible.
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Apart from Senegal, which teams can lift the trophy?
Today, it will be very, very difficult to say about the teams. You will of course agree with me that in Africa, all the teams are improving. The teams are very, very, very rigorous, both in terms of the training approach, but also in terms of management, because sporting performance is made up of two essential parameters. There are external factors and internal factors. In Africa, people are starting to work, to take these two factors into account. Previously, we were limited to the internal factors of performance. Today, most African teams work on their environment. So it will be very difficult, bordering on suicidal, to want to predict the potential winners.
The TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship 2024 (CHAN) Plane is almost ready to take off. ✈️👀 pic.twitter.com/w7DwqMelUA— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) December 31, 2024
Read the original article on CAF.
Will Kenyans Be Allowed Free Entry At CHAN?
AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 110 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.
Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.
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Govt Refutes Claims of Zambia’s Blacklisting from UN Human Rights Council

Published

2 hours ago

January 13, 2025

an24afri

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By Mary Kachepa

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed media reports suggesting that Zambia has been blacklisted from the United Nations Human Rights Council for alleged failure to uphold human rights standards. The Ministry clarified that the UN General Assembly has not considered nor adopted any resolution for the suspension or removal of Zambia from the Council because the country is currently not holding a seat at the Council.

Permanent Secretary in charge of International Relations and Cooperation, Etambuyu Gundersen, stated that Zambia intends to contest for a seat on the Council at the UN General Assembly elections in 2026 under the African States Region quota for SADC.

Ms. Gundersen told journalists at a media briefing hosted by the Ministry of Information and Media in Lusaka that the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression is expected in the country on January 19 at the invitation of the government.

She noted that Zambia was among the inaugural members to serve on the Human Rights Council when it was established from 2006 to 2008.

Ms. Gundersen explained that the Human Rights Council is an intergovernmental body under the United Nations that comprises 47 member states elected by a majority vote of the UN General Assembly to serve for three years on a rotational basis. She further explained that countries are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.

Ms. Gundersen described as false an article published by the Daily Nation Newspaper that the United Nations has sanctioned Zambia for rights violations. She advised that while freedom of expression is a constitutional right, it must be exercised within the limits and confines of the law.

The post Govt Refutes Claims of Zambia’s Blacklisting from UN Human Rights Council appeared first on ZNBC-Just for you.

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