{"id":61024,"date":"2025-08-30T21:31:51","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T21:31:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/japan-and-afdb-strengthen-partnership-for-africa-growth"},"modified":"2025-08-30T22:06:36","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T22:06:36","slug":"japan-and-afdb-strengthen-partnership-for-africa-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/japan-and-afdb-strengthen-partnership-for-africa-growth","title":{"rendered":"Japan and Afdb Strengthen Partnership for Africa Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. <\/strong><\/span>Japan and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have reinforced their nearly two-decade partnership with a new USD 5.5 billion financing deal designed to stimulate private sector growth across Africa.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the AfDB formalized the launch of the sixth phase of the Enhanced Private Sector Assistance initiative (EPSA6) with a Memorandum of Understanding, setting a target of up to USD 5.5 billion in joint financing for African development projects.<\/p>\n

The agreement was signed during the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), with Japan\u2019s Finance Minister, Katsunobu Kato, present to witness the ceremony.<\/p>\n

EPSA6 will provide concessional financing from JICA to the AfDB, supporting private sector initiatives across African member countries. Running from 2026 to 2028, this phase increases the funding target by half a billion dollars compared to EPSA5, its predecessor.<\/p>\n

First introduced in 2005, EPSA is one of the AfDB\u2019s most enduring bilateral partnerships and a vital mechanism for advancing the Bank\u2019s strategy for private sector development. Its focus areas include power, connectivity, health, agriculture, and nutrition, which align with the Bank\u2019s Strategy for Private Sector Development.<\/p>\n

To date, the initiative has facilitated USD 12 billion in joint financing, backing significant infrastructure and development projects across Africa. Notable projects include Uganda\u2019s Bujagali Hydropower Plant, the East Africa Submarine Cable System, Nigeria\u2019s Lekki Toll Road, Rwanda\u2019s Kigali Bulk Water Supply System, and RASCOM, the continent\u2019s first pan-African communications satellite.<\/p>\n

During the TICAD9 signing, Dr. Tanaka highlighted that the new USD 5.5 billion target is over five times the amount initially set when EPSA was launched 20 years ago. He also announced that \u201cresilience\u201d would be introduced as a new priority under EPSA6, with a focus on helping African economies withstand climate change and other external shocks.<\/p>\n

Tanaka also acknowledged the contribution of outgoing AfDB President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, whose leadership has driven much of EPSA\u2019s growth. \u201cThanks to his strong ownership and support, EPSA5 is set to nearly reach its USD 5 billion target by the end of this year,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

EPSA5, launched at TICAD8 in 2022, set a USD 5 billion financing commitment for 2023\u20132025. According to AfDB Vice President Kevin Kariuki, the initiative has already mobilized USD 4 billion, with an additional USD 1.6 billion in projects at advanced stages of financing, expected to be finalized by the end of 2025.<\/p>\n

Kariuki praised Japan\u2019s ongoing support, calling EPSA a cornerstone of the AfDB\u2019s collaboration with development partners. \u201cThe Government of Japan is one of the strongest shareholders of the African Development Bank and a major contributor to the African Development Fund,\u201d he said. \u201cEPSA is the largest and longest-running bilateral partnership we have, and it has been instrumental in strengthening Africa\u2019s private sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

Minister Kato emphasized that the renewed focus on resilience would be particularly beneficial for African nations facing high debt burdens while also attracting more private investment. \u201cAfrica has immense potential for market expansion,\u201d he told the delegates.<\/p>\n

With EPSA6, Japan and the AfDB are not only increasing their financial commitment but also expanding the scope of their cooperation. This new phase underscores the crucial role of private sector development in driving growth, resilience, and long-term prosperity across the African continent.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Lesotho<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Lesotho. Japan and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have reinforced their nearly two-decade partnership with a new USD 5.5 billion financing deal designed to stimulate private sector growth across Africa. On Thursday, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the AfDB formalized the launch of the sixth phase of the Enhanced Private Sector […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":61023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[245],"class_list":["post-61024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-lesotho"],"yoast_head":"\nJapan and Afdb Strengthen Partnership for Africa Growth - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Japan and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have reinforced their nearly two-decade partnership with a new USD 5.5 bil ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/japan-and-afdb-strengthen-partnership-for-africa-growth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Japan and Afdb Strengthen Partnership for Africa Growth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Japan and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have reinforced their nearly two-decade partnership with a new USD 5.5 bil ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/japan-and-afdb-strengthen-partnership-for-africa-growth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lesotho\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-30T21:31:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-30T22:06:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/08\/sm_1756575241.202806.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/japan-and-afdb-strengthen-partnership-for-africa-growth#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/japan-and-afdb-strengthen-partnership-for-africa-growth\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Japan and Afdb Strengthen Partnership for Africa Growth\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-30T21:31:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-30T22:06:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/japan-and-afdb-strengthen-partnership-for-africa-growth\"},\"wordCount\":552,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/japan-and-afdb-strengthen-partnership-for-africa-growth#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2025\/08\/sm_1756575241.202806.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Lesotho\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/japan-and-afdb-strengthen-partnership-for-africa-growth#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/japan-and-afdb-strengthen-partnership-for-africa-growth\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/japan-and-afdb-strengthen-partnership-for-africa-growth\",\"name\":\"Japan and Afdb Strengthen Partnership for Africa Growth - 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