{"id":164747,"date":"2025-08-06T09:02:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T09:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/?post_type=one_press&#038;p=164747"},"modified":"2025-08-06T09:59:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T09:59:44","slug":"african-finance-and-development-leaders-propose-transformative-action-to-address-the-cost-of-capital-and-secure-the-continents-financial-future","status":"publish","type":"one_press","link":"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/press\/african-finance-and-development-leaders-propose-transformative-action-to-address-the-cost-of-capital-and-secure-the-continents-financial-future\/","title":{"rendered":"African finance and development leaders propose transformative action to address the cost of capital and secure the continent\u2019s financial future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/Keynote-Financing-Africa-Forward-Cost-of-Capital-Summit-LinkedIn-Post-1-1-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-164752\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/Keynote-Financing-Africa-Forward-Cost-of-Capital-Summit-LinkedIn-Post-1-1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/Keynote-Financing-Africa-Forward-Cost-of-Capital-Summit-LinkedIn-Post-1-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/Keynote-Financing-Africa-Forward-Cost-of-Capital-Summit-LinkedIn-Post-1-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/Keynote-Financing-Africa-Forward-Cost-of-Capital-Summit-LinkedIn-Post-1-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/Keynote-Financing-Africa-Forward-Cost-of-Capital-Summit-LinkedIn-Post-1-1-16x16.jpg 16w, https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/Keynote-Financing-Africa-Forward-Cost-of-Capital-Summit-LinkedIn-Post-1-1-320x320.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/Keynote-Financing-Africa-Forward-Cost-of-Capital-Summit-LinkedIn-Post-1-1-640x640.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/Keynote-Financing-Africa-Forward-Cost-of-Capital-Summit-LinkedIn-Post-1-1-800x800.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/Keynote-Financing-Africa-Forward-Cost-of-Capital-Summit-LinkedIn-Post-1-1-630x630.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/Keynote-Financing-Africa-Forward-Cost-of-Capital-Summit-LinkedIn-Post-1-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>JOHANNESBURG, AUGUST 6 2025<\/strong> &#8211; The Financing Africa Forward Summit, co-hosted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.standardbank.com\/sbg\/standard-bank-group\">Standard Bank<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/africapractice.com\/\">Africa Practice<\/a>, in partnership with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/us\/\">ONE campaign<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/au.int\/en\/organs\/aprm\">APRM<\/a>, marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing campaign to address the costs African issuers of debt face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Summit identified tangible, African-led solutions that unlock capital for the continent&#8217;s development, backed by initiatives designed to address both external constraints and perceptions, and internal capacity gaps that perpetuate the high cost of capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Attendees at the Summit believe that the present reality, <strong>where a continent rich in human talent and natural resources is held back by borrowing costs, is unsustainable<\/strong>. African countries pay up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.afdb.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/06\/06\/aeo_2024_-_chapter_3.pdf\">500% more for capital market loans<\/a> than they would for financing from Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs). With <a href=\"https:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/emissary\/2024\/12\/debt-cost-of-capital-commission-south-africa-g20?lang=en\">external debt service projected to reach $89 billion in <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/emissary\/2024\/12\/debt-cost-of-capital-commission-south-africa-g20?lang=en\">2024<\/a>, more money is flowing out of developing countries in repayments than is flowing in through new financing and development assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Attendees recommended an action-oriented approach<\/strong> to lower the cost of capital within the next 12-36 months. These initiatives will be<strong> championed by a coalition of willing<\/strong> <strong>African institutions and actors<\/strong>, ensuring solutions are context-specific, self-determined, and aligned with the continent&#8217;s priorities. They included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Aiming to <\/strong><strong>make the global financial architecture work for Africa <\/strong>by advocating for change globally and enhancing Africa&#8217;s influence in setting international standards and rules to create a more equitable global financial system.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthening government capacity, <\/strong>encouraging leaders to invest strategically, shaping markets that reward innovation, reducing reliance on borrowing, and increasing development spending.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improving the quality of data, methodology, and availability of African research <\/strong>by ensuring that financial data is accurate, timely, and transparent<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Changing the narrative by<\/strong> using evidence-based campaigns to reshape perceptions of Africa from &#8220;risk and assistance&#8221; to &#8220;opportunity and investment&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sim Tshabalala, CEO of Standard Bank said: \u201cWe believe that the ideas discussed at this s Summit could make a lasting and transformative difference for the economies and people of Africa. This is not just about building roads and bridges, it is about building opportunity, resilience and prosperity.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Marcus Courage, CEO of Africa Practice said:<\/strong> &#8220;When it comes to economic growth, some nations get harnesses for the ascent, while African countries must climb with weighted vests. We simply can&#8217;t realise Africa&#8217;s full potential\u2014a potential that benefits the entire world\u2014until we tackle the structural and dynamic factors that drive up its capital costs.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Dr Misheck Mutize, Lead Expert on Credit Ratings, at APRM said:<\/strong> \u201cThe call for reform of the global financing architecture is becoming clearer, it is not empty noise, The global institutions need to pay attention to the merits in these calls. If they remain fixated on short-term benefits and outdated models, they may soon find themselves irrelevant as the developing world builds credible alternatives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, President\/CEO of the ONE Campaign said:<\/strong> &#8220;Affordable capital is a lifeline for Africa, not a luxury. It&#8217;s time the cost of capital reflects our potential, not outdated risk narratives. This forum is a critical step toward solutions driven by African voices and real urgency.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>-ends-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For media enquiries:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Kealeboga Mokomane <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ONE Campaign<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"mailto:Tatenda.Goredema@standardbank.co.za\">kealeboga.mokomane@one.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"buffer\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Financing Africa Forward Summit, co-hosted by Standard Bank and Africa Practice in partnership with the ONE Campaign and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), marks a significant step in the campaign to address the disproportionately high costs African countries face when accessing capital. Bringing together stakeholders from finance, government, civil society and development institutions, the Summit spotlights the urgent need for structural reforms that unlock capital for sustainable, African-led development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":164748,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"161990,161829,161885,161742,161872,161813","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"contributor":[],"class_list":["post-164747","one_press","type-one_press","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>African finance and development leaders propose transformative action to address the cost of capital and secure the continent\u2019s financial future - ONE.org Africa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.one.org\/africa\/press\/african-finance-and-development-leaders-propose-transformative-action-to-address-the-cost-of-capital-and-secure-the-continents-financial-future\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"African finance and development leaders propose transformative action to address the cost of capital and secure the continent\u2019s financial future\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Financing Africa Forward Summit, co-hosted by Standard Bank and Africa Practice in partnership with the ONE Campaign and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), marks a significant step in the campaign to address the disproportionately high costs African countries face when accessing capital. 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