The commitment is significant because it addresses one of Africa’s most persistent challenges: lack of access to affordable and inclusive financial services.

The Agence française de développement (AFD), which advances France’s policy on sustainable investment and international solidarity, has announced an additional €3 million commitment to the Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility (ADFI). The move, announced on April 9, aims to accelerate access to financial services for underserved populations across the continent. This brings AFD’s total contribution to ADFI to over €5 million.

“Developing digital financial services is a key pathway to reach financially excluded populations in Africa,” said Audrey Brule-Françoise, Head of AFD’s Financial Systems Division. “This new contribution will help scale up impactful and inclusive solutions.”

The fresh injection of funds will support scalable digital financial solutions that enable access to credit, savings, and other services essential for investment and entrepreneurship—particularly among women, youth, small businesses, and rural communities.

ADFI, managed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), was launched in 2019 as a collaborative effort between AfDB, AFD, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Government of Luxembourg. France’s Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, the Women’s Enterprise Finance Initiative (We-Fi), and India’s Ministry of Finance later joined as partners, further strengthening the initiative’s global backing.

Despite progress in mobile money and fintech innovation, close to half of Africa’s adult population remains excluded from digital financial services. World Bank data shows that in Sub-Saharan Africa, account ownership has more than doubled since 2011, reaching 49 percent in 2021-22. Yet, disparities remain stark—ranging from just 6 percent in South Sudan to 91 percent in Mauritius—highlighting the vast potential to expand financial inclusion through the digitalization of payments.

ADFI aims to bridge this gap through investments in digital infrastructure, supportive regulation, and product innovation, with a strong focus on gender inclusion and capacity building.

With over 2,700 projects in 115 countries, AFD continues to play a central role in supporting sustainable development and financial inclusion, reinforcing France’s global commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Hikmatu Bilali