It has been estimated that financing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) globally will require annual investment levels of USD 3-4 trillion, while in Africa associated investment needs are estimated at about USD 600-700 billion a year.
Given the enormity of the financing needs, during the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa in July 2015, the global community tasked the multilateral development banks (MDBs) to significantly scale up their activities and leverage financial resources by moving from “billions to trillions”.
As is the case globally, this paper Unleashing the Potential of Institutional Investors in Africa suggests that the achievement of the SDGs in Africa will require a new approach to financing development, and in particular an approach that significantly increases access to long-term private finance on the continent.