Public consultations on Australia’s proposal to join the African Development Bank

AusAID is seeking public views to Australia becoming a member of the African Development Bank and Fund. Photo: Kate Holt / AusAID

The government has put forward a proposal for Australia to join the African Development Bank to strengthen our existing support for overcoming poverty in Africa.

The African Development Bank promotes sustainable economic growth to reduce poverty in the African region. The Bank has 77 member countries, comprising 53 African and 24 non-African countries. 

Combating poverty is at the heart of the African Development Bank’s efforts to assist the continent to attain sustainable economic growth. Through the Bank’s programs between 2008 and 2010, more than 8.5 million people received improved access to water and sanitation and 16.4 million people greater access to health services. The Bank also helped build 7,400 new classrooms, trained 110,000 teachers and supplied nearly four million textbooks leading to the enrolment of an additional 267,000 children in primary school during the same period.

Australian membership of the African Development Bank offers the opportunity to extend our reach and impact in Africa, reduce aid fragmentation, and to work more effectively in more development areas than are possible when working alone or through efforts with individual countries. Membership would provide Australia with the opportunity to engage in policy dialogue on key issues and to better understand how member countries see African development problems, priorities and issues.

AusAID is seeking public views, through written submissions, to Australia becoming a member of the African Development Bank and Fund. Further details can be found on AusAID's website at www.ausaid.gov.au/afdb-membership.

The government invites public comments on the proposal to join the AfDB. In preparing your submission, please consider:

• Should Australia become a member of the African Development Bank and African Development Fund?
• Will joining the African Development Bank and African Development Fund help address poverty and development challenges in Africa?
• Is becoming a member of the African Development Bank and the African Development Fund in Australia’s national interest?

A consultation paper provides information on:

• the relative effectiveness of the African Development Bank  and the African Development Fund
• the suitability of African Development Bank  and Fund as primary development partners for Australia in Africa
• the extent to which membership of African Development Bank  and Fund would advance Australia’s national interests.

Written submissions should be emailed to afdb-membership@ausaid.gov.au. Submissions should be no more than six pages in length.

The closing date for submissions is 14 August 2012.

More information

Media release: Australia to pursue membership of the African Development Bank to help overcome poverty

Last Reviewed: 18 July, 2012