This article was produced with the support of AUDA NEPAD
Africa Team brings together the ambitions and commitments of AUDA-NEPAD, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), African Union institutions, continental financial bodies, Member States, and development partners under one unified banner.”
Delivering an opening address at the Africa Team Round Table, African Union Commission Chairperson H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said, “It is time to shift from fragmented efforts to harmonised delivery. Together we can unlock the Africa we want—resilient, prosperous and self-reliant.”
CEO of AUDA-NEPAD, Ms Nardos Bekele-Thomas underscored the significance of the moment: “This is more than a date on the calendar, we are in a conversation with the RECS and have a shared resolve on a single investment framework for the continent through the Africa Team.”
The Round Table formally launched the operational phase of Africa Team — a shared platform aimed at strengthening coordination, deepening accountability, and accelerating resource mobilisation. The initiative is built on the belief that Africa’s sustainable development depends on collective action: Pamoja, the Swahili word for “together.”
A central feature of the Round Table was the presentation of Africa Team’s Programme Document: a compendium of over 300 high-impact regional and continental projects, structured across six thematic portfolios:
- Infrastructure Development
- Food Systems Transformation and Environmental Sustainability
- Continental Health Systems Architecture
- Digital Transformation and Innovation Ecosystems
- Energize Africa: Youth, Growth, and Job Creation
From Vision to Implementation
The Africa Team initiative stems from discussions held at the 4th African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, in 2023. Leaders across the continent identified a need to eliminate duplication and streamline efforts around programming and funding. These reflections catalysed the creation of Africa Team — a framework designed to drive implementation of the Second Ten-Year Plan of Agenda 2063, also known as the Decade of Acceleration.
A New Mindset for Development
“Importantly, Africa Team signals a shift in mindset. It moves us beyond excessive dependency on donor-driven support, toward a focus on attracting strategic investment, investments aligned with Africa’s priorities, led by African institutions, and rooted in mutual benefit and long-term impact,” concluded Bekele-Thomas.
The Road Ahead
With full participation of the RECS Heads and the Heads of other AU institutions, the participants closed the roundtable by agreeing on the following:
- Endorsed a High-Level Declaration that formally designates Africa Team as the African Union’s single investment interface and obliges Member States, Regional Economic Communities and AU organs to coordinate their programmes through it.
- Approved an Africa Team Roadmap – Phase II, a time-bound plan that sets immediate milestones for aligning partner priorities, curating a bankable project pipeline and putting robust monitoring and accountability mechanisms in place to sustain momentum.
- Launched a drive for partner commitments, inviting development-finance institutions, multilateral banks, private investors and philanthropic actors to register expressions of interest that range from technical assistance and co-financing to blended-finance instruments.
- Integration with AfCFTA corridors – Africa Team’s deal pipeline will prioritise projects that unlock continental trade routes and regional value chains, reinforcing the AfCFTA’s objectives.
- Accountability loop – AUDA-NEPAD will issue quarterly dashboards tracking disbursements, impact metrics and gender-responsive outcomes.
- Legislative oversight – The Pan-African Parliament will use its upcoming Fifth Ordinary Session to scrutinise Africa Team financing instruments and ensure equitable distribution, in line with President Charumbira’s pledge of “One Africa, One Voice.”
- Private-sector catalysis – Early-stage de-risking tools and blended-finance windows are expected to be unveiled before the February 2026 AU Summit.
As the continent stands at this critical inflection point, the message from Malabo is clear: Africa will go further, faster — if we go together. Pamoja.
