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DBN Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer Dr.Tony Okpanachi and KDC Director General Norah Ratemo
- KDC, Development Bank of Nigeria Strengthen African Development Finance Collaboration to Accelerate Investment and MSME Growth;
Kenya Development Corporation (KDC) hosted a high-level delegation from the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) for a strategic benchmarking and knowledge exchange visit aimed at strengthening the capacity of African development finance institutions to mobilize investment,expand access to finance and support sustainable economic transformation across the continent.
Led by KDC Director General Norah Ratemo and DBN Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Tony Okpanachi,the engagement brought together senior leadership from the two institutions to share approaches to financing productive sectors of the economy, supporting businesses and enhancing the developmental impact of public finance institutions.
Both institutions highlighted the critical role of development finance institutions in addressing market financing gaps and unlocking investment into high-impact sectors.
Speaking during the engagement,KDC Director General Norah Ratemo emphasized the importance of stronger collaboraon among African development finance institutions in delivering sustainable development outcomes.
“The future of Africa’s economic transformation will depend not only on the availability of capital, but on the strength of the institutions that deploy it.
Development finance institutions have a unique responsibility to crowd in investment, strengthen productive sectors and create pathways for sustainable and inclusive growth.
Partnerships such as this enable us to build stronger institutions, share proven approaches and collectively enhance our impact across the continent,” she said.
DBN Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Tony Okpanachi noted that peer-to-peer learning among African institutions is increasingly important as countries seek to strengthen their development finance ecosystems and accelerate private sector growth.
“Development finance institutions across Africa face many similar opportunities and challenges.Platforms such as this provide valuable insights that help us strengthen our institutions, improve service delivery and maximize our development impact,” said Dr. Okpanachi.
The benchmarking visit underscores a growing recognition among African development finance institutions that collaboration and knowledge-sharing are essential to unlocking greater investment for businesses,strengthening MSME ecosystems and supporting long-term economic growth.
The engagement concluded with a shared commitment to deepen institutional cooperation,continue peer-learning exchanges and explore opportunities for collaboration that enhance the ability of both institutions to deliver meaningful development impact in Kenya, Nigeria and the wider African continent.
