The final report for the evaluation of the AfDB's Results-Based Financing (RBF) has now been published.

Since 2017, RBF is the AfDB's financing instrument to support African government priority programmes upon the achievement of pre-agreed results, using and improving the program’s institutions and system. The main focus of RBF is on results as opposed to the focus on inputs in typical project financing and on policy reforms in the case of programme-based operations.

The final report for the ex post evaluation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and six SADC countries - Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa has just been published. It consists of three volumes: the main report provides the main findings, conclusions and recommendations, volume 2 includes a set of appendices with more detailed information on bilateral trade as well as the social, environmental and human rights baselines and screening and scoping for EPA effects, and volume 3 presents four sector case studies on the effects of the EPA on the automotive, sugar, poultry, and renewable energy sectors.

The final report for the evaluation of the AfDB's Economic and Sector Work (ESW) - aka the research work conducted by the Bank - has now been published. The evaluation focused on the planning and budgeting of ESW at the Bank, the technical quality of Bank’s ESW, and the results of ESW, mainly to inform the implementation of the Bank’s Knowledge Management Strategy (KMS) 2022–2031 and the AfDB’s Ten-year Strategy for 2024–2033

Download the evaluation summary report.

More information on the evaluation is available from the AfDB website.

On 04 December, the Council of the EU adopted two decisions to sign the Advanced Framework Agreement (AFA) and the interim Trade Agreement (iTA) with Chile, which together constitute modernised versions of the EU-Chile Association Agreement currently in place. The updated agreements were signed on 13 December 2023.

We supported the negotiation process by conducting a Sustainability Impact Assessment for the Modernisation of the EU-Chile Trade Agreement, which was completed in May 2019.

The Council of the EU on 27 November 2023 adopted a decision on the conclusion of a free trade agreement (FTA) between the EU and New Zealand. This decision clears the path, on the EU side, for the entry into force of the agreement. Once New Zealand also completes its legal requirements and procedures, the agreement can enter into force, probably in early 2024. The FTA was signed on 9 July 2023.

We supported the negotiation process by conducting a Sustainability Impact Assessment, which was completed in mid-2020.

We are happy to report that, after having successfully completed an external audit, our quality management system has been re-certified according to ISO 9001: 2015 for another three-year period, i.e. until May 2026. We have been certified since 2013. For more information on our quality management (and to download a copy of the certificate), see Project and quality management.