The African Development Bank Group has approved a framework that could mobilise up to $5.1 billion to help African countries deal with rising energy and fertiliser costs linked to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
The Global Energy and Fertiliser Crisis Response Framework (GEFCRF) was approved by the AfDB Board of Directors on September 1, 2026, and announced by the Bank on September 7, 2026.
According to the AfDB, the framework will provide timely and targeted support to address the immediate effects of the crisis while helping African countries strengthen their resilience against future external shocks.
The financing comprises an additional $4.1 billion in African Development Bank lending and up to $960 million from the African Development Fund, the Bank Group’s concessional financing arm. The additional resources will raise the AfDB’s 2026 lending target to about $12.7 billion.
The one-year framework will be demand-driven, with support tailored to countries according to their vulnerability and specific financing and policy needs. The Bank said it would review the framework before deciding whether to extend it.
The AfDB said the ongoing Middle East crisis has created a significant external shock for African economies, pushing up global prices for energy, food, fertiliser and other commodities that many African countries rely heavily on imports to obtain.
Disruptions to global trade routes and logistics, including key maritime corridors, are also increasing transport costs, delaying deliveries and adding pressure to already fragile supply chains, the Bank said.
The framework will focus on four areas: stabilising macroeconomic conditions through rapid financing and coordinated policy responses; securing food, energy and fertiliser supplies through emergency and trade finance; protecting essential public spending and vulnerable households through targeted social protection; and supporting reforms aimed at reducing dependence on volatile external markets.
Abdul Kamara, Acting Vice President for Country and Regional Operations at the AfDB, said the framework was designed to help countries protect households, keep food, fertiliser and energy systems functioning and preserve development gains.
“A crisis response must do more than cushion the shock. It must make countries stronger. That is exactly what this framework aims to achieve,” Kamara said.
The Bank said the initiative builds on previous crisis-response programmes, including its COVID-19 Response Facility and the African Emergency Food Production Facility.
The impact on farmers is also a major focus. Martin Fregene, Officer in Charge for Agriculture, Human and Social Development at the AfDB, said the framework would help address pressures facing farmers as disruptions to global trade affect fertiliser availability.
“When fertiliser becomes too expensive or difficult to find, farmers use less and harvests can suffer,” Fregene said, adding that access to finance could help businesses continue moving fertiliser to farmers while stronger local fertiliser markets are developed.
Malawi is among the countries seeking support under the new framework. Nyasa Times reported on September 8, 2026, that Malawi had submitted a request for AfDB funding to support fuel and fertiliser imports, which are major users of the country’s scarce foreign exchange.
The AfDB said the wider crisis is putting pressure on the fiscal and external positions of African countries that are net importers of energy, food and fertiliser, while higher costs could increase subsidy burdens and foreign-exchange pressures.
The framework is intended to provide immediate financing while supporting longer-term measures to diversify supply chains, reduce exposure to volatile international markets and strengthen African countries’ capacity to respond to future shocks.
