2019/2020: GlobalDF has been actively involved in various development activities: (1) designed and implemented the on-line PIDA Job Creation Toolkit for the African Union Development Agency NEPAD with the support of the German government to increase the capacity of African governments, development partners, and the private sector to maximize the number and quality of African jobs created from African infrastructure projects; (2) prepared the forthcoming publication “Financing Roadmaps for Climate Projects: How can local governments in Sub-Saharan Africa facilitate access to finance?” on behalf of the Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa (COM SSA) with support from the GIZ COM SSA Team; and (3) developed six training modules (project development, finance, and four specific types of climate projects) for COM SSA to use in workshops with local governments and other stakeholders across Sub-Saharan Africa.

GlobalDF also continued its advocacy for practical steps to mobilize the private sector for development, contributing presentations to key investment forums such as the 2019 G-20 Workshop at the United Nations and the 2020 OECD high-level technical meetings to accelerate infrastructure development in Africa with the Africa Center for Economic Transformation. GlobalDF Executive Director Dr. Barbara Samuels also served as senior advisor to the United Nations Office of Financing for Development in the design of the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance (GISD).

In 2019 and 2020, Dr. Samuels has served as senior advisor to the Co-Guarantee Platform for Africa (“Platform”), aimed at scaling risk mitigation to increase access to finance for African infrastructure, trade, and other economic sectors. Dr. Samuels has also supported the development of the Platform’s infrastructure window, the Africa Infrastructure Guarantee Mechanism (AIGM), promoted by the African Union Development Agency NEPAD. Platform Participants include: The African Development Bank (AfDB) (as promoter and interim secretariat); African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank); African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI); GuarantCo, part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG); Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investments and Export Credit (ICIEC), part of the Islamic Development Bank Group; and the African Union Development Agency AUDA-NEPAD (as representative of the African Union and promoter of the Platform’s infrastructure window AIGM).

2018: GlobalDF continued its work as: (1)  technical advisor for infrastructure development, risk mitigation, and finance (for the African Union's Development Agency NEPAD, the City Climate Finance Leadership Alliance set up by the United Nations Secretary General); (2) developer of on-line toolkits scaling capacities for development and finance (PIDA Job Creation Toolkit, World Bank City Creditworthiness Assessment and Planning Toolkit & Water Creditworthiness Initiative Creditworthiness and Planning Toolkit); and (3) advocacy for practical steps to mobilize the private sector for development, authoring reports and speaking at key investment forums as detailed below.

GlobalDF Executive Director Dr. Samuels co-authored with Africainvestor CEO Hubert Danso the Report “2018 Benchmark for Investing in African Infrastructure Project Development: Institutional Investment and Commercial Project Development in Africa.”  The priority actions and processes required to mobilize institutional and other long-term investment for Africa’s infrastructure are set forth, with detailed input from institutional investors and project developers. The report was presented at the African Investment Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa in November 2018. Throughout the year GlobalDF continued its advocacy work in support of practical technical actions that are required to build pipelines of investable infrastructure projects and achieve sustainable development, encompassing policies, project preparation, risk mitigation, finance, training, and performance metrics.

2017: GlobalDF developed first benchmark on infrastructure project development and action plans for unlocking institutional investment for Africa's infrastructure; provided technical support to create World Bank Water Creditworthiness Self-Assessment & Planning Toolkit.