Ebene – The Southern African Banking Forum, organised by the Trade and Development Bank Group (TDB Group) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) closed today in Mauritius, following two days of successful deliberations on the evolving opportunities, challenges and practical dynamics of the banking sector in Southern Africa.
Building on the success of previous editions, and now in its eighth year, this flagship forum – held in both East and Southern Africa – reflects the robust partnership between TDB Group and EIB and their shared commitment to sustainable development and financial inclusion in Africa.
Held under the theme “Connections for Growth”, this year’s forum brought together over 100 regional and global experts in banking and development finance in Africa, facilitating dialogue on the evolving landscape of regional financing.
In addition to deepening and fostering industry networks, the forum provided industry professionals with valuable insight to help them navigate current challenges and harness future trends, with a focus on enhancing cross-border collaboration, developing sustainable and inclusive financial solutions, and driving innovation.
Discussions focused on key priorities central to the region’s agenda, including amongst others agricultural supply chains, critical minerals, nature-based financing, infrastructure development, inclusive growth strategies, technological advancement, and trade finance solutions to address supply chain challenges.
Admassu Tadesse, TDB Group President and Managing Director said, “Africa’s economic journey has been marked by multiple shocks and cycles, but also resilience and opportunity. It remains very important to deepen Africa’s financial sector, including capital markets, non-traditional segments such as venture capital and more dynamic blending to enable more projects to get traction. It also requires greater efforts from African and global stakeholders to ensure a fairer global financial architecture that contains Africa’s elevated cost of funding and that guards against systemic financial risks.”
EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle said, “The EIB has been working with banking partners in Africa to invest in small and medium-sized businesses in Africa for 50 years. Increasing access to finance to all sectors of society, including women and young people, is key to creating more equitable and sustainable growth. As the EU climate bank and in collaboration with partner institutions, we are also sustaining our efforts to green the financial system, in support of climate action.”
Since 2014, TDB Group and EIB have grown their partnership to promote sustainable development across TDB Member States, with the EIB extending over half a billion USD in financing facilities aimed at supporting trade, climate action, SMEs, and investments in fragile contexts.
About TDB
Established in 1985, the Trade and Development Bank Group (TDB Group) is an African regional multilateral development bank, with a mandate to finance and foster trade, regional economic integration and sustainable development in an operating region of 26 African countries. TDB Group counts several subsidiaries and strategic business units including Trade and Development Banking, TDB Asset Management (TAM), the Trade and Development Fund (TDF), TDB Captive Insurance Company (TCI), the ESATAL fund management company and TDB Academy.
About EIB Global
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives.
EIB Global is the EIB Group’s specialised arm devoted to increasing the impact of international partnerships and development finance, and a key partner of Global Gateway. We aim to support €100 billion of investment by the end of 2027 — around one-third of the overall target of this EU initiative. Within Team Europe, EIB Global fosters strong, focused partnerships alongside fellow development finance institutions and civil society. EIB Global brings the EIB Group closer to people, companies and institutions through our offices across the world.
