The World Bank Group has launched new Country Partnership Frameworks (CPFs) for Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Niger covering the 2026–2031 period, marking a first-of-its-kind regional partnership designed to tackle shared challenges across the Central Sahel. The frameworks aim to promote job creation—especially for youth and women—by investing in human capital, infrastructure, and agricultural productivity, while also supporting targeted reforms and private sector development. Built on the World Bank’s Fragility, Conflict, and Violence strategy, the CPFs use a flexible, country-specific approach while encouraging cross-border cooperation to unlock regional opportunities.
This new partnership brings together the World Bank Group’s institutions—IDA, IFC, and MIGA—under an integrated “One World Bank Group” approach to strengthen development impact in the Sahel. By combining their complementary roles, the initiative seeks to improve access to finance for micro, small, and medium enterprises, strengthen supply chains, and generate more and better jobs across the four countries. The overall focus is on sectors with strong employment potential and on supporting regional and cross-border projects that can accelerate inclusive economic growth.
According to the World Bank Group, the CPFs place people at the center of development efforts and are designed to support key drivers of long-term progress. They align with major regional priorities in health, electricity, and agriculture through initiatives such as Universal Health Coverage, Mission 300, and Agriconnect. The frameworks are intended not only to stimulate growth but also to support a broader vision of a more peaceful, resilient, and economically integrated Sahel, where young people can access sustainable livelihood opportunities.
The new frameworks are closely aligned with each country’s national development agenda, including Niger’s Programme de refondation de la République, Chad’s Tchad Connexion 2030 plan, Mali’s national strategy for emergence and sustainable development, and Burkina Faso’s 2026–2030 national development plan. Across all four countries, the CPFs prioritize governance reforms, economic diversification, and inclusive, private sector-led growth. They are also designed to address the root causes of fragility, conflict, and violence by expanding access to essential services and improving economic opportunities, particularly for vulnerable populations such as refugees and internally displaced persons.
The private sector is positioned as a central pillar of the strategy, with the IFC highlighting the importance of stronger private investment in sectors such as energy and agribusiness to raise productivity, attract capital, and build resilience against both domestic and external shocks. MIGA is also expected to play an important role by helping sustain investment flows, especially to MSMEs, through guarantees and close collaboration with active investors. In a region facing insecurity, landlocked geography, governance constraints, and investment barriers, the combined approach is intended to convert the Sahel’s economic potential into tangible and lasting socio-economic progress.
