Speaking at a State House gala dinner marking ATIDI’s Silver Jubilee and the opening of the institution’s 26th Annual General Meeting in Nairobi, President Ruto called for a stronger African financial architecture capable of financing the continent’s development on its own terms.
“The new African financial architecture for development is the solution to financing Africa’s transformation,” the president said, urging African governments to strengthen African-owned institutions that can mobilize capital, mitigate risk, and drive sustainable economic growth.
President Ruto
A second major announcement was made by Sidi Ould Tah, president of the African Development Bank Group, who unveiled a fivefold increase in the bank’s shareholding in ATIDI, from 3 percent to 14 percent.
President of African Development Bank
Ould Tah said the move reflects the bank’s confidence in ATIDI’s growing role in attracting trade and investment from around the world by reducing investment risks across African markets.
He also called on more African countries to join ATIDI, pledging that the African Development Bank would provide the necessary resources to support new memberships and strengthen the institution’s capital base.
Highlighting Africa’s development priorities, Ould Tah stressed the urgent need to finance energy and climate projects, saying they are essential to accelerating sustainable development and economic transformation across the continent.
He emphasized that institutions such as ATIDI play a critical role in mobilizing private investment by helping investors manage political and commercial risks.
Kenya, one of ATIDI’s seven founding member states and host of the institution’s headquarters since its establishment in 2001, has played a central role in the organization’s growth.
The latest increase in Kenya’s investment reflects renewed confidence in ATIDI’s ability to unlock private capital for African economies.
The announcements came as ministers, shareholders, development finance institutions, investors, and international partners gathered in Nairobi for ATIDI’s Annual General Meeting, which coincides with the institution’s 25th anniversary.
Addressing the opening session, ATIDI Board Chairman Professor Kelly Mua Kingsly said Africa’s greatest asset is not its abundant natural resources but confidence.
“Capital follows confidence,” he added. “When investors believe in a country’s future, businesses grow, jobs are created, families prosper, and nations flourish.”
Kingsly said ATIDI was founded 25 years ago on the belief that Africa needed its own institution capable of understanding the continent’s realities, reducing investment risks, and strengthening investor confidence.
Over the past 25 years, he said, ATIDI has grown from "a bold African vision into a globally respected institution," facilitating billions of dollars in trade and investment, strengthening investor confidence and contributing to economic development across its member states.
“We do not merely mitigate risk. We create confidence. Where confidence grows, investment follows,” he said.
Kingsly also highlighted ATIDI’s growing international recognition, noting that President Ruto recently showcased the institution during the G7 Summit and that it was acknowledged in the G7 Leaders’ Declaration on mutually beneficial international partnerships.
“This recognition belongs not only to ATIDI but to Africa itself,” he said, adding that it demonstrates the increasing influence of African institutions in shaping global discussions on investment and sustainable development.
Manuel Moses
ATIDI Chief Executive Officer Manuel Moses described the Silver Jubilee as the beginning of a new chapter for the institution rather than the culmination of its first 25 years.
Founded in 2001 by seven African countries, ATIDI has steadily expanded its membership, financial capacity, and geographic reach to become one of Africa’s leading multilateral providers of political risk, trade credit, and investment insurance.
Moses said the institution’s success has been built on sustained growth, financial strength, operational excellence, and strategic partnerships, positioning it to play an even greater role in mobilizing private capital for infrastructure, trade, energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and the digital economy.
The Annual General Meeting, which runs through 3 July in Nairobi, is expected to adopt strategic decisions aimed at strengthening ATIDI’s capital base, expanding its membership, and increasing its capacity to support investment and trade across Africa.
Al-Ahram correspondent with Massay
As ATIDI marks 25 years since its establishment, the commitments announced by Kenya and the African Development Bank underscore growing confidence in African-led financial institutions as key drivers of investment, trade, and sustainable development across the continent.
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