The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group is urging African finance ministers to step up efforts to generate more revenue locally to support the continent’s development goals.
This call was made by the Bank’s Chief Economist and Vice-President for Economic Governance and Knowledge Management, Professor Kevin Chika Urama, during a high-level meeting held on April 1, 2026, in Tangier, Morocco. The meeting formed part of the 58th Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Urama emphasised the importance of domestic resource mobilisation, describing it as essential for building economic resilience, strengthening national independence, and delivering critical public services and infrastructure.
The meeting, themed “Mobilising Domestic Resources: A Key Lever for Africa’s Development,” was hosted by Morocco’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah, under the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
According to Prof. Urama, the AfDB has identified five key areas African countries must focus on to improve revenue generation. These include strengthening tax policies and administration, simplifying tax systems, and diversifying income sources to expand the tax base.
He noted that over the past decade, domestic resource mobilisation has been a major focus of the Bank’s economic governance programmes. Currently, there are 31 active initiatives across 22 African countries aimed at improving revenue collection, expanding tax coverage, strengthening fiscal systems, and tackling illicit financial flows.
Prof. Urama also highlighted key initiatives such as the Debt Management Forum for Africa and the African Debt Managers Initiative Network, which are helping countries manage their finances more effectively.
In his concluding remarks, he called on African governments to adopt practical short-, medium-, and long-term strategies that will make domestic revenue generation a central pillar of national development.
The AfDB’s Ten-Year Strategy (2024–2033), along with its broader policy direction, places strong emphasis on reducing dependence on external funding and driving Africa’s transformation through internally generated resources.
