African leaders have called for greater investment in energy, infrastructure, industrialisation and climate finance to accelerate the continent’s development and economic transformation.

The leaders made the call during a presidential dialogue held at the 2026 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group in Brazzaville.

They reiterated the need for Africa to mobilise more private capital and strengthen partnerships to finance large-scale development projects.

The high-level panel discussion featured the presidents of Gabon (Brice Nguema), the Central African Republic (Faustin-Archange Touadéra), the host (President Denis Nguesso of the Republic of Congo), and the AfDB president (Sidi Ould Tah).

The president of Gabon said his country was working to transform its natural resources and biodiversity into long-term economic growth through eco-tourism and carbon credit initiatives.

“We would like to develop our forests while preserving nature,” Mr Nguema said.

The Gabonese president also called for greater international compensation for Congo Basin countries to help preserve global forest ecosystems.

Mr Nguesso restated the importance of economic diversification beyond oil and gas, highlighting Congo’s plans to expand fertiliser production using its reserves of potash, phosphate and natural gas.

He also underscored the importance of energy generation to Africa’s industrial growth, citing the hydropower potential of the Congo River basin.

“It is not possible to achieve development without energy,” he said.

Mr Touadéra appealed for stronger support to unlock the economic potential of landlocked African countries through investments in roads, electricity and regional connectivity.

“We have huge potential. Today we have peace, and there are several sectors that can attract investors,” he said.

Responding to concerns about Africa’s financing gap, the AfDB president said the continent has an estimated $4 trillion in African-held financial resources that could be leveraged for development.

“It is our role at the bank to work with states and financial institutions to design bankable projects and mobilise the necessary financing,” he said.

The leaders also stressed the importance of investing in Africa’s youth through education, engineering and technical training to drive long-term economic transformation.

(NAN)