Morocco and Egypt have emerged as the primary African recipients of European Investment Bank financing in 2025, as the EU’s financial arm deployed a record €3.1 billion across the continent through its international development branch, EIB Global — representing one third of the institution’s total disbursements outside the European Union.
The investment drive, aligned with the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, targeted high-impact projects across infrastructure, clean energy, healthcare, and private sector development. Morocco’s allocation concentrated on two critical priorities. The first addressed mounting water security pressures, with EIB financing directed toward drinking water production and distribution infrastructure designed to expand equitable access in small towns and rural communities. The second funded large-scale post-earthquake reconstruction in the Al Haouz region, rehabilitating schools, hospitals, and roads while embedding climate-resilient design standards and energy efficiency requirements throughout — a model for what development planners call “building back better.”
Egypt’s engagement centered on its green energy transformation. EIB support backed the Obelisk photovoltaic project, described as Africa’s largest solar plant with battery storage, alongside a €21 million EU grant channeled through the Bank for industrial decarbonization and circular economy capacity. Investment in the RMBV North Africa Fund III further strengthened Egypt’s private sector ecosystem, targeting growth financing for hundreds of small and medium enterprises.
Beyond the two top recipients, the 2025 disbursements revealed a continent-wide strategy. Cameroon extended rural electrification to over 1.6 million people. Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Guinea received support for cocoa value chain development with an emphasis on gender inclusion and youth employment. Angola financed its first national cervical cancer vaccination campaign covering two million girls, while Rwanda and BioNTech advanced mRNA vaccine manufacturing capacity — a milestone for African pharmaceutical sovereignty.
EIB Global also committed over €350 million to pan-African investment funds, including vehicles managed by Amethis and Ardian, specifically targeting high-potential SMEs caught in the funding gap between early-stage financing and Series A capital. The Bank’s Africa Venture Finance Programme, housed at Oxford University, trained more than 40 African venture capital fund managers in 2025 alone.
“In 2025, the EIB intensified its support for win-win partnerships in Africa, built on mutual respect,” said EIB Group President Nadia Calviño. “We make a difference where it matters most — in high-impact projects that people can feel and communities across Africa can count on.” The Group reached its target of mobilizing €100 billion — including €20 billion for Global Gateway — well ahead of its 2027 deadline.
