The African Development Bank (AfDB) has retained its position as the world’s most transparent major development institution for the third consecutive time.

This is contained in a statement released by the AfDB on Wednesday, in Abuja.

The bank emerged first in the 2026 Aid Transparency Index, released in London by Publish What You Fund, scoring 98.8 out of 100.

The biennial ranking assessed 33 development institutions, with the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank’s International Development Association jointly occupying second position with 97.1 points each.

The ranking recognised the bank’s publication of comprehensive, high-quality and timely open data on its public sector activities and financial flows.

AfDB maintained its 2024 score despite changes in leadership, management and strategic direction, reflecting the integration of transparency into its institutional operations.

The Chief Executive Officer of Publish What You Fund, Gary Forster, said the bank’s sustained performance demonstrated its commitment to openness and accountability.

Mr Forster also commended the bank’s improvements to its website and data dashboards, which had made information more accessible and useful to stakeholders.

The AfDB President, Dr Sidi Ould Tah, described transparency as essential to delivering Africa’s development priorities, building trust and strengthening accountability.

“Transparency is currency. It enables us to deliver the transformation that Africa needs. It builds trust and improves information.

“The bank’s transparency efforts also extend to Mission 300, its partnership with the World Bank to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030,” Mr Tah said.

According to the AfDB president, the programme’s results are published and updated quarterly through the Mission 300 dashboard.

The bank said its commitment to transparency was aimed at strengthening public access to development information, promoting accountability and improving confidence in development financing across Africa.

(NAN)