AfDB Expands Performance-Based Funding to Improve Accountability in Southern Africa
The African Development Bank (AfDB) is scaling up the use of Results-Based Financing (RBF) across Southern Africa, in a move aimed at strengthening accountability, improving service delivery, and ensuring public funds deliver measurable development outcomes.
The initiative was reinforced during a three-day regional workshop held in Pretoria, which brought together Bank specialists, government officials, and sector experts from South Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, and Botswana.
The workshop focused on advancing RBF as a financing model that links disbursement of funds to independently verified results, rather than inputs or activities. The approach is increasingly gaining traction across the continent as governments seek more efficient and transparent ways to implement development programmes.
Since its introduction in 2017, the AfDB has deployed RBF across 22 operations in 12 countries. A 2024 independent evaluation highlighted the model’s effectiveness in enhancing accountability and delivering value for money, while also calling for increased technical capacity and a stronger pipeline of eligible projects.
Speaking at the workshop, AfDB Deputy Director General for Southern Africa, Moono Mupotola, said there is growing demand for financing mechanisms that ensure tangible outcomes.
“Across the region, there is increasing demand for financing approaches that strengthen accountability, reinforce country systems, and ensure that public resources translate into measurable and sustainable outcomes,” she said.
Participants explored how to design and implement RBF programmes across key sectors, including energy, water and sanitation, and social services. The sessions covered the full lifecycle of RBF operations, from policy design and results frameworks to fiduciary standards, environmental safeguards, and disbursement mechanisms.
The workshop also included practical sessions aimed at identifying and developing a pipeline of RBF-ready projects, enabling countries to move from concept to implementation more efficiently.
According to Daouda Konipo, Principal Strategy and Policy Officer at the AfDB, the workshop marked a significant step forward in scaling up the model across the region.
“Participants leave with a clearer understanding of how and when to apply the RBF instrument, a preliminary pipeline ready for further development, and stronger regional collaboration,” he said.
The Pretoria workshop was the final session in a continent-wide series held between 2025 and 2026, following similar engagements in Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya.
The AfDB says the expansion of Results-Based Financing reflects a broader shift towards performance-driven development financing, where success is measured not by spending, but by results achieved on the ground.
