• News
    • Latest news
    • News search
    • Health
    • Finance
    • Food
    • Career news
    • Content series
    • Try Devex Pro
  • Jobs
    • Job search
    • Post a job
    • Employer search
    • CV Writing
    • Upcoming career events
    • Try Career Account
  • Funding
    • Funding search
    • Funding news
  • Talent
    • Candidate search
    • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Events
    • Upcoming and past events
    • Partner on an event
  • Post a job
  • About
      • About us
      • Membership
      • Newsletters
      • Advertising partnerships
      • Devex Talent Solutions
      • Contact us
Join DevexSign in
Join DevexSign in

News

  • Latest news
  • News search
  • Health
  • Finance
  • Food
  • Career news
  • Content series
  • Try Devex Pro

Jobs

  • Job search
  • Post a job
  • Employer search
  • CV Writing
  • Upcoming career events
  • Try Career Account

Funding

  • Funding search
  • Funding news

Talent

  • Candidate search
  • Devex Talent Solutions

Events

  • Upcoming and past events
  • Partner on an event
Post a job

About

  • About us
  • Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising partnerships
  • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Contact us
  • My Devex
  • Update my profile % complete
  • Account & privacy settings
  • My saved jobs
  • Manage newsletters
  • Support
  • Sign out
Latest newsNews searchHealthFinanceFoodCareer newsContent seriesTry Devex Pro
    • Funding
    • Business intelligence

    Interactive: The AfDB's first pipeline data in a year — and what it tells us

    The African Development Bank has released its long overdue pipeline data — and business development teams will want to read it carefully.

    By Matthew Wolf // 06 July 2018
    The African Development Bank has released its quarterly operational summary, or QOS, for the beginning of 2018. The QOS details the pipeline of projects under consideration for bank financing, with information on potential project budgets, executing agencies, and other details of interest to stakeholders in the bank’s activities. Similar to the World Bank’s Monthly Operational Summaries, or USAID’s Business Forecast, it offers a glance at future bank operations, and the opportunities these may generate for partners and contractors. This most recent edition of the QOS contained 107 pipeline projects worth a projected $6.27 billion. However, data from this particular edition of the QOS needs to be used carefully by analysts and business development teams. To begin with, it is slightly different from other donors’ pipeline documents in that it includes projects “for which financing has been approved ... during the last six months and those which are expected to be submitted to the boards for approval during the next six months.” Rather than show a full pipeline, it shows projects as they approach and pass the end of the project preparation cycle. This is useful for contractors, as it implies these projects will soon offer them procurement opportunities. Second, however, it is the first QOS to be released for a year. Perhaps to compensate for three missing quarterly reports, it contains projects approved as far back as 2016. Some of these have already moved on to implementation and procurement. A Devex analysis shows that at least 20 projects worth $829 million that are listed in the Q1 2018 QOS have begun procurement, and 38 others worth $2.06 billion have begun implementation but not yet generated opportunities, according to AfDB’s project portal. One project in the pipeline, aimed at assisting the South Sudanese government to apply for membership to the Trade Development Bank and Africa Trade Insurance Agency, has already successfully completed. If we remove all projects that have completed or begun procurement, the “pipeline” of AfDB projects is reduced to 86, worth $5.4 billion. If we also remove any projects already in implementation, there remain 49 worth $3.4 billion. Where procurement has begun, the projects can already be found as opportunities in Devex’s funding database. Further complicating analysis of the pipeline is the fact that all projects included in it have already been approved by the bank’s boards; there are none “which are expected to be submitted to the Boards for approval during the next six months.” This makes this edition of the QOS less a pipeline document, and more a list of recent project approvals. This is useful in the short term, but less so in the medium to long-term, especially if there is another 12-month delay until the next QOS. With these considerations in mind, we take a look at what the latest QOS can tell us. AfDB Pipeline as of March 2018 The projects in the Q1 2018 QOS focus on North and Central African countries, and the sectors of energy, institutional development, finance, industry, and trade. Morocco and Tunisia, two of the most-supported regional member countries of the AfDB historically, have pipelines worth $536 million and $467 million respectively. Morocco’s pipeline projects include financing for the Tekcim cement plant; additional financing for the Morocco Agency for Sustainable Energy’s work on the Noor Midelt Solar Energy Complex; and phase one of a national industrialization program. Tunisia has two digital economy-focused projects: Support for its national Digital Tunisia 2020 plan; and a technological skills development program. In Central Africa, Gabon had a single large project of $357 million for phase two of an economic and financial reform program (PAREF II). In nearby Cameroon, there were two large, ongoing projects: One for competitiveness and economic growth (PACCE), and another for more financing for the Nachtigal Hydropower Plant. Kenya, Rwanda, and Cote d’Ivoire also had large pipelines, including the construction of a second runway at Jomo Kenyatta airport in Nairobi; financing for Cote d’Ivoire’s national airline; and a large water and sanitation program in Rwanda. This last project is one of several pipeline projects being funded through the bank’s private sector operations. The bank works with the private sector across Africa in a variety of ways, and some of these efforts are evident in its pipeline projects. Much of the private sector funding is allocated to local financial institutions, such as South Africa’s Nedbank and Kenya’s KCB. Some is also allocated to infrastructure and industrial development projects — particularly hydro and solar energy centers in Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, and Morocco. Most interestingly, there are several investments in Africa-focused private equity firms, such as South Africa-based Inspired Evolution’s Evolution Fund II, which makes equity investments in sustainable energy and infrastructure, and Barcelona-based Mediterrania Capital Partners’ third fund for African equity investments. There are also some important gaps in the pipeline data. There are no projects in the Q1 2018 QOS for several regional member countries of the AfDB: Algeria, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, and Niger. Mozambique is especially interesting, as the board recently approved a new 2018-2022 Country Strategy Paper for the bank’s operations in the country. It’s likely the pipeline there will reappear, but is less certain for other countries. Read more with Devex’s AfDB Contractor Insights series.

    The African Development Bank has released its quarterly operational summary, or QOS, for the beginning of 2018. The QOS details the pipeline of projects under consideration for bank financing, with information on potential project budgets, executing agencies, and other details of interest to stakeholders in the bank’s activities.

    Similar to the World Bank’s Monthly Operational Summaries, or USAID’s Business Forecast, it offers a glance at future bank operations, and the opportunities these may generate for partners and contractors. This most recent edition of the QOS contained 107 pipeline projects worth a projected $6.27 billion.

    However, data from this particular edition of the QOS needs to be used carefully by analysts and business development teams.

    This story is forDevex Promembers

    Unlock this story now with a 15-day free trial of Devex Pro.

    With a Devex Pro subscription you'll get access to deeper analysis and exclusive insights from our reporters and analysts.

    Start my free trialRequest a group subscription
    Already a user? Sign in
    • Funding
    • Banking & Finance
    • Energy
    • Congo, The Republic of
    • Abidjan, Cote d Ivoire
    • South Sudan
    Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).

    About the author

    • Matthew Wolf

      Matthew Wolf@thisismattwolf

      Matthew Wolf works with the Devex Analytics team from Johannesburg in South Africa, helping improve our coverage of and insight into development work and funding around the world. He draws on work experience with Thomson Reuters in Africa, MENA and Latin America, where he helped uncover, pursue and win opportunities with local governments and donor agencies. He is interested in data-driven solutions to development challenges, results-based financing, and ICT4D.

    Search for articles

    Related Stories

    Funding InsightsWhat’s inside the World Bank’s $38.9 billion pipeline?

    What’s inside the World Bank’s $38.9 billion pipeline?

    EnergyOne year in, Mission 300 tests what it takes to power Africa

    One year in, Mission 300 tests what it takes to power Africa

    FinanceInside the race to lead the African Development Bank

    Inside the race to lead the African Development Bank

    Devex InvestedDevex Invested: US explores the literal nuclear option

    Devex Invested: US explores the literal nuclear option

    Most Read

    • 1
      How low-emissions livestock are transforming dairy farming in Africa
    • 2
      Opinion: Mobile credit, savings, and insurance can drive financial health
    • 3
      The UN's changing of the guard
    • 4
      Opinion: India’s bold leadership in turning the tide for TB
    • 5
      State Department employees in anxious limbo over massive staff cuts
    • News
    • Jobs
    • Funding
    • Talent
    • Events

    Devex is the media platform for the global development community.

    A social enterprise, we connect and inform over 1.3 million development, health, humanitarian, and sustainability professionals through news, business intelligence, and funding & career opportunities so you can do more good for more people. We invite you to join us.

    • About us
    • Membership
    • Newsletters
    • Advertising partnerships
    • Devex Talent Solutions
    • Post a job
    • Careers at Devex
    • Contact us
    © Copyright 2000 - 2025 Devex|User Agreement|Privacy Statement