African leaders have agreed to establish the Alamein Investment Platform by the African Union Summit in February 2027, as part of a broader push to mobilise private capital and address a severe funding shortfall at the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD).The commitment was formalised in the Alamein Declaration, adopted at the Summit of the Founding Members of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) in New Alamein, Egypt, on the 3rd of October 2026. The declaration sets out four measurable development priorities and calls for more predictable African funding, greater operational flexibility and stronger coordination for AUDA-NEPAD.
The Alamein Investment Platform will consolidate private capital pledges and investment commitments arising from the Alamein Africa Forum, with the consolidated value of the project portfolio reported at each biennial edition of the forum. The platform is designed to convert the continent’s integration agenda into concrete, financeable projects by linking governments, development institutions and the private sector.
The inaugural Alamein Africa Forum, held from the 2nd to the 4th of October, 2026 and co-organised by the Egyptian government, Afreximbank and AUDA-NEPAD, brought together around 1,500 government officials, business leaders and financiers. Its central objective was to move beyond broad policy discussions toward financing and implementing concrete projects.
Founding member states expressed “deep concern over the decline in African member states’ financial contributions” to AUDA-NEPAD’s programme budget, warning that this compromises the agency’s ability to fulfil its mandate. They called on member states to mobilise additional resources and increase stable, predictable core funding to offset reductions in the agency’s programme budget.
The declaration also called for greater operational flexibility and stronger coordination for AUDA-NEPAD, positioning the agency to better support continental development priorities. The funding gap has been a persistent challenge, with the agency relying heavily on external partners and facing pressure to deliver on Agenda 2063 commitments.
In addition to the investment platform, leaders agreed to launch a continental facility for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and value chains by the mid-2027 AU Coordination Summit. The facility will report on supported enterprises and jobs created for youth and women, addressing financing constraints that have long hindered African businesses.
This SME-focused mechanism is intended to complement the investment platform by channelling capital to smaller enterprises that often struggle to access formal finance. By tracking jobs created for young people and women, the facility aims to ensure that investment translates into inclusive economic growth.
The Alamein Declaration represents a shift from aspiration to accountability, with clear deadlines and measurable targets. The four development priorities—private capital and investment value, SME support, financing mobilisation and AUDA-NEPAD strengthening—are designed to be tracked and reported on at future editions of the forum.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the inaugural forum aims to turn the continent’s economic potential into investment and concrete projects by bringing governments, businesses and development institutions together on a permanent biennial platform. The AU approved holding the forum biennially in New Alamein in February 2026, establishing it as a recurring high-level gathering for African investment and cooperation.
For African policymakers and investors, the Alamein Investment Platform could become a key mechanism for channelling private capital into infrastructure, industry and value chains across the continent. By consolidating pledges and reporting on portfolio values, the platform aims to create transparency and momentum around investment commitments.
The success of the initiative will depend on follow-through: turning pledges into disbursements, building bankable project pipelines and ensuring that AUDA-NEPAD has the stable funding needed to coordinate delivery. If implemented as planned, the platform could mark a significant step towards Africa financing its own development agenda.
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