IFC's Priorities in Sub-Saharan Africa
About 400 million people in sub-Saharan Africa live in extreme poverty. The region also has more conflict-affected countries than any other. IFC plays a comprehensive role here.
We help businesses improve productivity and establish links to broader markets, expand financial and social inclusion, and boost prosperity in ways that help limit conflict.
Our investments across a range of sectors help drive the region’s development forward. We collaborate with other World Bank Group institutions to support agriculture, power, job creation, health, education, and capital markets. Our priorities include bridging the infrastructure gap, helping build productive industries, and fostering inclusive business approaches.
In fiscal year 2018, our long-term investments in sub-Saharan Africa totaled $6.2 billion, including $4.6 billion mobilized from other investors. Our clients supported more than 278,000 jobs, created opportunities for more than 1 million farmers, and treated more than 1.4 million patients.
Focus Areas
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Infrastructure
IFC aims to help Africa build a modern economy with ports, railways, telecoms, and power by attracting private expertise, management and finance while maintaining the right balance between private and public interests.
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Financial Inclusion
IFC helps our financial intermediary clients address their financing needs and offer know-how and tools to use capital to their best advantage.
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Agribusiness
Recognizing that 60 percent of Africans derive their livelihoods from farming, IFC supports an improvement in agricultural yields and exports, and the modernization of the food sector. We also support commodity exchanges and financial institutions that serve farmers and agri-enterprises.
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Tourism, Retail, and Property
IFC focuses on key industries that form the foundation of sustainable growth and provide affordable goods and services, create jobs, contribute to government revenue, and stimulate the growth of local small and medium enterprises.
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Health and Education
IFC works closely with a variety of stakeholders in sub-Saharan Africa to develop the health sector in a holistic way, while also partnering with private education providers to bridge the education gap.
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Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations
IFC’s Conflict-Affected States in Africa (CASA) Initiative, launched in 2008, is helping design and implement integrated strategies targeted to support economic recovery in several countries in the region.
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