TDB Group Joins the Alliance for Special Agro-Industrial Processing...

Media contacts:

Trade and Development Bank Group
Anne-Marie Iskandar
Senior Communications Officer
Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations
[email protected]

Abidjan, 13 January 2026 - TDB Group is pleased to announce that it has become a member of the Alliance for Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones ("Alliance" or "A-SAPZ"), alongside the OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund). Launched at the 2023 Africa Investment Forum in Marrakech, Morocco, the Alliance is an initiative aimed at strengthening multi-partner efforts to accelerate agro-industrialisation and agricultural value-chain development across Africa, by pooling financing, technical expertise and private sector participation.

The addition of TDB Group and the OPEC Fund builds on the strong foundation laid by existing members: the African Development Bank Group; the Islamic Development Bank Group; Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms; African Export-Import Bank; the United Nations Industrial Development Organization; the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa; the West African Development Bank; and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development.

The platform brings together public, private and development partners to help close Africa's agricultural investment gap by expanding Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ). Through coordinated financing, shared infrastructure, targeted incentives and structured value chain linkages, SAPZ enhance competitiveness, reduces investor risks, and attracts sustained private capital.

"The Alliance will intensify efforts to mobilise co-financiers to accelerate SAPZ implementation across Africa," said Dr Sidi Ould Tah, President of the African Development Bank Group. "This work directly advances the Bank's Four Cardinal Points: Unlocking Africa's capital through blended finance; Strengthening food systems and value addition; Turning demographics into a dividend by prioritising youth and women; and Delivering integrated, resilient infrastructure."

Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones are central to Africa's agricultural transformation, bridging rural and urban economies by linking smallholder farmers to structured value chains, processing facilities and consumer markets. This approach helps countries shift from primary commodity export toward higher-value agro-industrial production.

To date, the African Development Bank has committed about US$ 934 million to develop over two dozen SAPZ in 11 countries. These investments have already leveraged an additional US$ 938 million in co-financing from partners.

"TDB Group is pleased to join this important initiative for accelerating the transformation of the agricultural sector on our continent through the development of SAPZ. We look forward to deepening collaboration on scaling bankable agro-industrial opportunities alongside our Alliance partners," said Admassu Tadesse, TDB Group President and Managing Director.

Abdulhamid Alkhalifa, President of the OPEC Fund, noted that the Fund's Food Security Action Plan aligns with the Alliance's objectives, describing the partnership as a strategic opportunity to accelerate sustainable agricultural and agro-industrial development across Africa.

By joining the Alliance, the OPEC Fund and TDB Group will work with existing members to mobilise blended finance and catalytic capital for SAPZ development, support project preparation and risk-mitigation tools, strengthen value chains, and accelerate job creation and rural industrialisation.

With this expanded partnership, the African Development Bank encourages governments, anchor investors, SMEs, farmers' organizations and technical partners to seize opportunities created by the strengthened Alliance as it rolls out the next generation of SAPZ across Africa.

About TDB Group
Established in 1985, the Trade and Development Bank Group (TDB Group) is an African regional multilateral development bank, with a mandate to finance and foster trade, regional economic integration, and sustainable development in Africa. TDB Group counts several subsidiaries and strategic business units including Trade and Development Banking, TDB Asset Management (TAM), the Trade and Development Fund (TDF), TDB Captive Insurance Company (TCI), the ESATAL trade asset management company and TDB Academy.