Overview of best prospect sectors, major infrastructure projects, significant government procurement and business opportunities.
Last Published: 11/15/2018

The HIGH 5 FOR TRANSFORMING AFRICA
The AfDB is striving to complete its High Five Goals. They include Light Up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa. In 2017, the AfDB approved $3.94 billion (45.7%) to Improving the Quality of Life for the People of Africa,  $1.71 billion (20%) to Light Up and Power Africa, $1.19 billion (13.8 %) to Industrialize Africa, $1.18 billion (13.7%) to Feed Africa, and $601 million (7%) to Integrate Africa. The High 5 Goals serve as priority areas that the AfDB will focus on to advance Africa’s transformative agenda over the next 10 years. The AfDB hosts a database called the High-Fives Application which presents the current progress towards the completion of the five goals. In addition, it contains best practices, and useful information for bidders interested in participating in AfDB funded projects.

PROJECT PROCUREMENT
AfDB funded projects are conducted in every country in Africa, with operations totaling 911 million in 2018 and from 2013 to 2018 a total of $14.4 billion. Projects are classified and developed in 17 Topics Areas, 14 Sectors, and through numerous Initiatives & Partnerships.
AfDB Group contract awards to U.S. firms look small: just over $45 million from 2013 to 2018 which account for 0.31 % of total AfDB funded projects. Of these projects, 73% were in services, 27% were in goods, and 0% in civil works. U.S. firms have a strong interest and advantage in services. However, U.S. firm participation, and competitiveness, may be much higher than the figures suggest. Procurement figures only include the bidder on record, not the subcontractors & suppliers, or if the bidder on record is a subsidiary of another (possibly) foreign firm.

Direct opportunities for U.S. firms come from member country governments that borrow funds from the AfDB to conduct specific Projects & Operations. All responsibility for selecting bidders and implementing the project lies with the borrowing country government, not the AfDB. All AfDB funded projects under the Project Procurement system are subject to the Rules and Procedures for Procurement of Goods and Works, as well as the Rules and Procedures for Recruitment of Consultants. Interested bidders may consult the AfDB website for more information, and needed documentation to participate in AfDB funded projects.
U.S. firms enjoy a strong reputation worldwide as suppliers of first-rate technologies and providers of specialized services. These goods and services often serve as vital components of a project, but they are usually not acquired by the borrowing government or the AfDB themselves. Instead they are acquired through the private sector by the primary contractors that win the contracts. By marketing to these primary contractors, U.S. manufacturers and service providers can enter into the supply chains that serve AfDB funded projects. U.S. firms can learn more about how to do this by contacting the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Liaison Office to the AfDB.

PROCUREMENT
The AfDB Group itself runs competitions for consulting and advisory services, often in relation to AfDB Group funded projects. These competitions are run through AfDB Vendor Kiosk. This only pertains to corporate procurements. Project procurements and private sector projects are run through their respective systems. This service is not equivalent to the DACON Service; DACON is solely for consultants wishing to register themselves for Project Procurement Opportunities.
 
PRIVATE SECTOR SOLUTIONS
The Private Sector Department offers assistance in two forms: Lending Activities and Non-Lending Activities. Public and Private Entities may utilize Private Sector Department loans. The Private Sector Department’s Non-Lending Activities include the Fund for African Private Sector Assistance (FAPA). FAPA is a multi-donor fund which provides grants for technical assistance and capacity building to African Governments, regional economic communities, and similar intergovernmental organizations. These investments support other AfDB funded projects in Key Topics and Sectors. These include loans, equity participation, guarantees, technical assistance, and other financial/investment offerings, with special focus on infrastructure, commodities, manufacturing, agribusiness, health and education, services, and financial markets. The Private Sector Department approved over $64.58 million in operations as of July 2018. The FAPA Fund is estimated to be worth $87.47 million, with 75 approved projects.

 
 

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