Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) invest across Africa to foster economic growth, but their projects and programs carry significant social and environmental risks for communities. Shrinking civic space, inadequate stakeholder engagement, and child sexual exploitation and abuse are complex challenges in Africa and key focus areas of our work in the region.
Our Africa program partners with civil society organizations (CSOs) in the region to monitor and influence MDBs, with a focus on the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank. We amplify the voices of affected communities to hold MDBs accountable and advocate for strong implementation of MDB policies, particularly the environmental and social safeguards, on the ground.
Our program builds the capacity of CSOs and local communities throughout Africa on MDBs. It provides information, strategic advice, and connections to MDB decision-makers so that those impacted by MDB investments can voice their concerns. CSOs and local communities are vital to the development process, and we support them in monitoring the environmental and social impacts of MDB investments on the African continent.
BIC is a founding member of the Civil Society Working Group on the African Development Bank (AfDB CSO Working Group), a network of African organizations and international allies pushing the AfDB to be more sustainable, inclusive, transparent, and accountable to local communities. The Working Group has engaged in the ISS and Independent Recourse Mechanism (IRM) reviews, the development of the Civil Society Engagement Action Plan, and the creation of a toolkit on Understanding the AfDB: A Guide for CSOs and Communities.
We support our partners in combining research, monitoring, and strategic engagement to track project implementation, amplify community concerns, and push institutions to address gaps and risks.
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Our team of policy experts, regional specialists, and advocates works across institutions and regions to strengthen development finance policies and projects.
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