Key Takeaways
- The African Development Bank Group and Brazil's Cooperation Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 12 June in Abidjan to expand cooperation in food systems, job creation, climate resilience, health systems, and private sector development across Africa.
- The MoU establishes five priority areas: agriculture, health, finance and private sector development, renewable energy and climate, and skills and youth development.
- In agriculture, the partnership will support climate-smart agriculture, irrigation, mechanisation, agro-processing, agricultural enterprise development, and applied research.
- The agreement builds on decades of cooperation between the African Development Bank Group and Brazil, a non-regional member since 1982, including prior collaboration through the South–South Cooperation Trust Fund and joint work with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation.
- The partnership aligns with African Development Bank President Sidi Ould Tah's Four Cardinal Points framework, which focuses the Bank Group on high-impact programs, strong partnerships, resilience, and measurable improvements in people's lives.
African Development Bank Signs Agriculture and Climate MoU with Brazil
The African Development Bank Group and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Abidjan to expand strategic cooperation across food systems, job creation, climate resilience, health systems, and private sector development in Africa. The agreement was signed on 12 June by Martin Fregene, Officer in Charge of the Vice Presidency for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, on behalf of the Bank Group, and by Paulo de Souza Amado, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Brazil in Côte d'Ivoire, on behalf of the Brazilian Cooperation Agency.
“Across Africa, we are working to improve food security, adapt to climate change, strengthen health systems, and create jobs for young people. I have seen firsthand how Brazil brings relevant expertise and experience in many of these same areas, including agricultural innovation, renewable energy, public health systems, and skills development. This agreement creates a structured way to connect these strengths,” said Martin Fregene, representing African Development Bank Group President Sidi Ould Tah at the signing ceremony.
Five Priority Areas Under the Agreement
The MoU establishes cooperation across five defined priority areas. In agriculture, the partnership will support climate-smart agriculture, irrigation, mechanisation, agro-processing, agricultural enterprise development, and applied research. In health, the cooperation will promote stronger health systems, workforce development, digital health solutions, and bio-manufacturing, including vaccine and pharmaceutical production.
The agreement also covers finance and private sector development, focusing on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and business linkages between Africa and Brazil. Additional cooperation areas include renewable energy, bioenergy, carbon markets, and nature-based solutions, alongside skills development, technical and vocational education, higher education modernisation, innovation ecosystems, and youth entrepreneurship.
“The Memorandum lays the foundation for a long-term partnership. A partnership that goes beyond one-off initiatives to promote structural transformations, strengthen national capacities, expand triangular cooperation and mobilise resources as well as know-how on a large scale,” said Paulo de Souza Amado, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Brazil in Côte d'Ivoire.
African Development Bank's Broader Brazil Partnership History
The MoU builds on decades of engagement between the African Development Bank Group and Brazil, which has been a non-regional member of the Bank since 1982. Prior collaboration has included the South–South Cooperation Trust Fund and joint work with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, which has supported agricultural innovation and knowledge exchange across the continent.
The partnership is framed as an opportunity to leverage the Bank Group's financing capacity and regional reach alongside Brazil's practical experience in tropical agriculture, renewable energy, public health systems, skills development, and enterprise growth. The agreement is intended to scale solutions to development challenges across Africa rather than deliver isolated, one-off programmes.
Signatories and Ceremony Details
The Brazilian delegation at the Abidjan signing ceremony also included Nelci Caixeta, Coordinator-General for Africa, Asia and Oceania at the Brazilian Cooperation Agency; Andrea Von Rakowitsch Siqueira Tillmann, Project Analyst at the Agency; and Jean Martial Konnan Koffi, focal point for Côte d'Ivoire. The partnership advances the African Development Bank President's Four Cardinal Points, which focus the institution on high-impact programs, strong partnerships, resilience-building, and measurable improvements in people's lives, with specific attention to women and youth as economic contributors.
