The African Development Bank's (AfDB) total portfolio in Nigeria has reached $6.2 billion, encompassing 53 operations spread across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The projects cover a wide range of sectors including transport, energy, water, agriculture, health, education, and private-sector support.
According to the AfDB’s 2025 Country Portfolio Performance Review for Nigeria, the North-East region emerged as the primary beneficiary of the bank's interventions. The Inclusive Basic Service Delivery and Livelihood Empowerment Programme, a significant regional project, has a total value of $259.5 million. This initiative has been instrumental in delivering water, sanitation, health, education, nutrition, MSME support, women agribusiness, and livelihood interventions across Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, and Taraba states.
In contrast, infrastructure projects in the South-East region have lagged in disbursement. Despite combined approvals of approximately $171.3 million for clearly identifiable projects, only $30.93 million had been disbursed by December 2025. This disparity raises concerns about equitable project delivery.
The Ebonyi State Ring Road Project, a major component of the South-East portfolio, disbursed about $29.6 million out of its $54.6 million approval. Similarly, the $115 million Abia State Integrated Infrastructure Project had only disbursed around $0.13 million by the review period. The Abia State Integrated Infrastructure Study, however, showed a better disbursement rate of 73.7% on its $1.7 million approval.
Overall, the AfDB's Nigeria portfolio achieved a 53% disbursement rate as of December 2025. The bank also reported a significant improvement in project implementation, with flagged operations (projects at risk of not meeting objectives) declining from 42% in January 2025 to 25% by December 2025. This improvement is attributed to closer monitoring by the AfDB, the Federal Ministry of Finance, and executing agencies.
In a related development, the AfDB warned that Africa’s trade finance gap could escalate to $86.6 billion by 2027. This projection is driven by escalating geopolitical tensions, rising energy prices, and tightening global credit conditions, which are increasing pressure on the continent's trade ecosystem. The bank noted that at least 29 African currencies have depreciated, further straining foreign exchange reserves and import financing.
