The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has advocated deeper private-sector engagement in humanitarian response and crisis recovery, stressing the role of businesses in stabilising fragile economies and supporting long-term development.

AfDB Senior Vice President Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, at the 5th Geneva International Cooperation Forum in Switzerland in February, emphasised that humanitarian crises often go hand in hand with economic collapse.

“Behind every crisis, there are collapsing markets and lost jobs,” she said at the forum, organised by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs’ Agency for Development and Cooperation.

She maintained that businesses play a crucial role in preventing crises, stabilising communities and rebuilding economies after conflict or disaster, especially in Africa, where nearly 80 per cent of the population works in the private sector.

Ms Akin-Olugbade, according to a statement on Wednesday by AfDB, also outlined the AfDB’s approach to crisis response, which focuses on complementing humanitarian actors rather than replacing them.

She explained that the bank works to revive economic activity, support local enterprises and restore essential services in fragile contexts through targeted financial instruments and partnerships.

Ms Akin-Olugbade noted that lasting recovery requires close cooperation between humanitarian organisations, development banks and private-sector partners.

“This coordinated approach can help bridge the gap between emergency assistance and long-term economic recovery,” Ms Akin-Olugbade stated.

In his remarks, Pietro Lazzeri, head of the economic cooperation and develop ment division at Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), highlighted the need to broaden humanitarian financing.

“In a global context of declining resources, the financing and implementation of humanitarian aid must be expanded,” Mr Lazzeri said, stressing the need for shared responsibility.

The forum brought together global policymakers, development institutions, humanitarian actors and private-sector leaders to explore new models for financing and delivering humanitarian aid.