The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) and the Republic of Congo have signed a memorandum of understanding on the hosting and organization of the Bank’s 2026 Annual Meetings, scheduled to take place in May next year.
Anatole Collinet Makosso, Prime Minister of the Republic of Congo, attended the signing ceremony as along with other members of the Congolese government.
Ludovic Ngatsé, Congo’s Minister of the Economy, Planning, Statistics, and Regional Integration, who also serves as Bank Group Governor for the country signed the MOU in Brazzaville where the 2026 Annual Meetings will take place. Vincent O. Nmehielle, Bank Group Secretary General signed on the institution’s behalf. The 2026 Annual Meetings will be the 61st for the African Development Bank and the 51st for the African Development Fund, the Bank Group’s concessional lending arm for low-income African countries.
The 2026 Meetings will be the first to be held under the chairmanship of Mr. Sidi Ould Tah, who was elected as head of the Bank Group on 29 May 2025 (http://apo-opa.co/46eEErd).
A Bank delegation has been meeting with the government of Congo since 11 September for discussions on the meetings. The signing represents an important milestone in the preparations for the 2026 Annual Meetings programme and reflects a shared understanding and commitment to work toward the Meetings’ success across key areas including logistics, security, hospitality, language services, accommodation, transportation, ICT, and statutory meetings.
Minister Ngatse said: “This first mission to prepare for the 61st Annual Meetings of the Bank Group was both useful and fruitful. Useful, because it allowed the parties to exchange views on the organizational frameworks established on both sides, with a view to setting up dedicated institutional structures; and fruitful, because it enabled all of us not only to grasp the scope of our commitments, but also to gain a clearer understanding of the various tasks entrusted to us.”
“By signing this memorandum of understanding, the Government of the Republic of Congo commits to providing the goods and services necessary for the effective organization and smooth running of the Annual Meetings, in accordance with the Bank’s procurement rules and procedures,” Nmehielle said. “The Bank will also strive to ensure that quality standards of the Annual Meetings are maintained at all times, through ongoing dialogue with the host country.”
The African Development Bank delegation and the government of Congo also formalized the first discussion document of the preparatory mission, which sets out the work to be carried out by the Congolese authorities to ensure smooth organization and optimal experience for all stakeholders attending the 2026 Meetings.
The Annual Meetings are a statutory event of the Bank Group that enable the Bank’s Board of Governors and management to take stock of the past year and adopt strategic resolutions to help accelerate the development of the African continent.
They attract more than 3000 participants each year, including AfDB governors and directors, development partners, philanthropists, researchers, private sector actors, civil society representatives, media, as well as the institution’s management teams and staff.
Annual Meetings are held in member countries on a rotating basis. The Republic of Congo has hosted the Annual Meetings once before, in 1984.
Cooperation between the Bank Group and the Republic of Congo dates from 1972. Since then, the institution has approved projects and programmes in the Republic with cumulative value of $1.27 billion.
As of 30 June 2025, the Bank Group’s active portfolio in the country comprised nine sovereign operations with a total commitment of approximately $223.3 million spread across the transport, agriculture, finance, energy, and water&sanitation sectors.
The annual meetings are scheduled for May 25-29, 2026.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Media contact:
Solange Kamuanga-Tossou,
Communications and External Relations Department
African Development Bank
media@afdb.org
About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s leading development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). Represented in 41 African countries, with an external office in Japan, the Bank is committed to the economic development and social progress of its 54 regional member countries. For more information, visit www.AfDB.org