Translated with AI assistance
The five founding countries of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) – Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa – have agreed to launch by February 2027 the Alamein Investment Platform. Its purpose is to bring together in one place prepared African projects and the private capital capable of financing them. The decision was made on October 3 at a meeting in El Alamein, Egypt.
The platform will be coordinated by the African Union Development Agency AUDA-NEPAD – a body that grew out of the NEPAD program and is responsible for implementing major African Union projects. The agency is currently experiencing a shortage of funds: African leaders have acknowledged that the reduction in member states’ contributions is already limiting its capabilities.
The new mechanism is designed to address one of the main problems of the African investment market: there are many promising projects, but a significant number of them never reach investors in a form ready for financing. That is why AUDA-NEPAD will create a separate portfolio of the most thoroughly developed initiatives. For each one, they will track not the number of presentations and negotiations, but the practical outcome — whether the project managed to secure the necessary financing and move on to implementation.
Private funds are expected to be supplemented by capital from development banks and public institutions. In addition, an African mechanism should be established within 18 months to reduce risks for investors – for example, through guarantees and assistance in project preparation.
A separate track is intended for small and medium-sized businesses. By mid-2027, it is planned to launch a pan-African program to finance companies and regional production chains. Its results will be measured by the number of enterprises supported and jobs created.
The Alamein Investment Platform will become part of the broader Agenda 2063 strategy – the African Union’s long-term plan for the development of the continent. At the current stage, covering the period from 2024 to 2033, the priorities include industry, raw material processing within Africa, infrastructure, energy security, and the development of trade between the countries of the continent.
What this means for businesses in BRICS countries
For companies and investors from BRICS countries, the new platform could simplify the search for projects in Africa: instead of independently screening hundreds of disparate initiatives, there will be a single portfolio of investment-ready projects, with some of the risks expected to be mitigated through guarantees and the involvement of African financial institutions.
Of particular interest are the sectors where companies from BRICS countries are already actively operating: energy, transport infrastructure, industrial manufacturing, raw material processing, agribusiness, and regional supply chains.
