AfDB 2026 annual meetings to hold in Congo as Bank’s investment portfolio in country tops $1.27bn

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has formalised an agreement with the Republic of Congo to host its 2026 Annual Meetings in Brazzaville, underscoring a partnership that has delivered $1.27 billion in cumulative financing to the country since 1972.

The meetings, slated for May 25 to 29, 2026, will be the 61st gathering of the AfDB and the 51st of the African Development Fund, the Bank’s concessional lending arm. They are expected to draw more than 3,000 participants, including government leaders, development partners, private sector representatives, researchers, civil society, and the media.

The signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) took place in Brazzaville, witnessed by Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso and senior government officials. Congo’s Minister of Economy, Planning, Statistics, and Regional Integration, Ludovic Ngatsé, who also serves as AfDB Governor for the country, signed on behalf of the government, while AfDB Secretary General Vincent O. Nmehielle signed for the Bank.

Ngatsé described the preparatory mission as “useful and fruitful,” noting that it provided clarity on structures and responsibilities for the event. Nmehielle affirmed the host government’s commitment to ensuring smooth organisation, in line with AfDB standards.

The 2026 meetings will be the first presided over by Sidi Ould Tah, elected president of the Bank in May 2025. It will also mark the second time Congo hosts the institution’s annual meetings, the first being in 1984.

As of June 2025, the AfDB’s active portfolio in Congo comprised nine projects valued at $223.3 million, spread across transport, agriculture, finance, energy, and water and sanitation.