Norway Pledges Major Funding to Boost African Development

Norway has pledged 3.1 billion Norwegian kroner to support economic development in Africa’s lowest-income nations. The funding will go to the African Development Fund (ADF), the African Development Bank Group’s program for the continent’s most vulnerable countries. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced the commitment at the Global Citizen Now event in Johannesburg on November 21. He later reaffirmed the pledge in a meeting with the Bank Group’s President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina. This contribution is part of the seventeenth replenishment of the ADF. The fund provides grants and low-interest loans for projects in areas like climate adaptation, food security, and infrastructure. Norway’s pledge reinforces its long-term support for Africa’s development. The ADF-17 replenishment aims to mobilize resources from international donors to address pressing challenges across the region.