Africa presses for investment

African leaders, ministers and business executives used the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings in Washington to press for more money for infrastructure, jobs and technology. (meetings.imf.org, worldbank.org) The 2026 spring meetings ran from April 13 to April 18 in Washington, D.C., bringing together finance ministers, central bankers, investors and development officials. The World Bank said this year’s public agenda centered on “creating jobs and driving growth through better policies.” (meetings.imf.org, worldbank.org) Aliko Dangote, president of Dangote Group, said on the sidelines that Africa needs faster investment in infrastructure and industry, and he pushed for more private-sector participation in water systems and other basic services. He made those remarks during the World Bank’s April 15 “Water Forward” launch in Washington. (marketnewsng.com, worldbank.org) Nigeria’s finance minister, Wale Edun, said the country’s reform program is starting to produce stronger macroeconomic stability and more investor confidence. The International Monetary Fund’s African Department said Nigeria was among the countries that benefited in 2025 from exchange-rate changes, subsidy cuts and tighter monetary policy. (msn.com, imf.org) The International Monetary Fund said sub-Saharan Africa entered 2026 after its strongest growth in a decade, with regional growth estimated at 4.5% in 2025. It also said those gains are now under pressure from the war in the Middle East, which has pushed up oil, gas and fertilizer prices. (imf.org, imf.org) African delegates arrived as development finance was getting tighter from several directions. Africa.com, citing Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development data, reported official development assistance fell 23% from 2024 to 2025, while new research it cited said African borrowing costs rose 91% between 2020 and 2024. (africa.com) That squeeze shaped the message in Washington: African governments wanted lenders and investors to back projects that can raise productivity, create work and reduce import dependence. The World Bank’s spring meetings recap said one message echoed across the week: “jobs cannot wait.” (worldbank.org, worldbank.org) Technology spending was part of that pitch. Reporting from the meetings said economists and policy experts urged African governments not to slow investment in artificial intelligence despite the global shocks darkening the outlook. (iafrica.com) Climate adaptation stayed on the table too, especially in water. The World Bank launched Water Forward on April 15 with a goal of improving water security for 1 billion people by 2030, tying water systems directly to jobs, agriculture, industry and resilience against droughts and floods. (worldbank.org, worldbank.org) The International Monetary Fund said one-third of countries in Africa are at high risk of debt distress or already in it, even as governments are being told to protect social spending, invest in infrastructure and keep reforming. That left African officials in Washington asking for more room to finance growth without losing the stability they spent 2025 rebuilding. (imf.org, imf.org)