Agence Française de Développement

AFD NEWSLETTER - n°19 - May 2009

The latest issue of AFD’s Newsletter includes the following news updates for the month: the publication of AFD’s and PROPARCO’s annual reports, the launch of a new investment fund for Africa’s recovery, the launch of the new magazine Private Sector and Development and a number of upcoming conferences…

News

Development financing, an actor for recovery

In an international context disrupted by the financial crisis, AFD is continuing to support South countries and Overseas France. In 2008 its commitments rose by 25% to reach almost 4.5 billion euros, including 1.3 billion for Sub-Saharan Africa. This sharp rise in activity went hand in hand with a scaling up of strategic partnerships and a considerable increase in staff numbers. <Find out more> <Download the 2008 annual report (French version – English version available by mid-June)>

Figure of the month

In the field

China:
rebuilding infrastructure after the earthquake

	Following the earthquake that devastated Sichuan province in May 2008, AFD has allocated a 200 millions dollar loan to China to help it rebuild infrastructure and to finance the installation of domestic biogas. <Find out more>
Tunisia: 80 million euros for Tunisia
	During the visit of the French Prime Minister, François Fillon, in April several agreements were signed for the water sector, vocational training and to support business start-ups. <Find out more>

3 questions to...

Michel Jacquier,

What is the aim of this new investment fund? Africa’s private sector carries the burden of both the informal economy and the predominance of small and medium-sized enterprises. Today it suffers from a lack of organization and very limited access to investment. And yet it is central to the development of the African continent… <Read on> <FISEA approves its first projects>

Agenda

26 May, 1 p.m. Screening-debate on agroecology in Madagascar AFD, Paris 8 and 9 June Evaluating development policies, by Esther Duflo as part of the “Knowledge against Poverty” chair Collège de France, Paris

PROPARCO
AFD's private sector arm

Publication of the 2008 annual report

In the current context, PROPARCO is playing its countercyclical role and has demonstrated, by its results and the impacts measured of its financing, the effectiveness of its economic model which is based on long-term financing for sustainable development in South countries via the private sector. <Find out more>

FGEF
French Global Environment Facility

Preserving antelopes

The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) has just completed a project with 1.35 million euro of cofinancing from the French GEF. It aims to protect antelopes and other species and combat desertification in the Sahel regions of the Sahara. <Find out more>

Publications

Private Sector and Development magazine
Launch of the first issue

This magazine is published by PROPARCO and aims to grasp the mechanisms by which the private sector contributes to sustainable development in South countries by comparing the complementary analyses of entrepreneurs, researchers, financiers and donors. <Find out more>

Employment opportunities

Recruitment campaign

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