AfDB Backs Arise IIP With $100M to Scale Industrial Zones in Africa
TLDR
- The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $100 million equity investment in Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP)
- The funding is part of AfDB’s broader strategy to boost industrial development through structured public-private partnerships
- This new capital follows $893 million in recent funding raised by Arise IIP from Afreximbank, AFC, and FEDA to build industrial parks
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $100 million equity investment in Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP) to support the expansion of special economic zones and industrial platforms across Africa. The funding is part of AfDB’s broader strategy to boost industrial development through structured public-private partnerships.
Arise IIP operates in countries including Gabon, Benin, and Togo, where it develops industrial parks that centralize infrastructure, simplify customs procedures, and improve export logistics. The company’s model promotes local value addition by processing raw materials closer to their source.
The investment aligns with AfDB’s Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) initiative, which aims to strengthen agricultural value chains. AfDB Vice President Dr. Beth Dunford said the project will support job creation, environmental sustainability, and increased use of local resources.
This new capital follows $893 million in recent funding raised by Arise IIP from Afreximbank, AFC, and FEDA to build industrial parks in Nigeria, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Kenya, and Malawi. So far, Arise IIP’s platforms have attracted over $7 billion in investment, established more than 400 companies, and created nearly 50,000 jobs across 47 industries.
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Key Takeaways
AfDB’s equity investment in Arise IIP underscores the importance of infrastructure-led industrial policy in Africa’s development agenda. Industrial zones like those developed by Arise IIP serve as critical enablers for reducing logistical inefficiencies, cutting export processing times, and integrating African products into global supply chains. The emphasis on special economic zones is also central to the AfDB’s SAPZ program, which seeks to shift Africa’s role in the global economy from raw material supplier to processor and exporter of finished goods. These industrial hubs aim to anchor economic activity around agro-processing, manufacturing, and trade, providing both formal employment and opportunities for SMEs. As African governments and financial institutions increasingly prioritize localized production and green industrialization, Arise IIP’s model—combining infrastructure investment, regional logistics, and private capital—offers a scalable framework. The AfDB’s support signals confidence in this model as a pathway for accelerating structural transformation across the continent.
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