JICA and AfDB sign EPSA6 MoU for $5.5 billion

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the African Development Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding launching the sixth phase of the Enhanced Private Sector Assistance (EPSA6), targeting up to $5.5 billion for joint financing over 2026-2028.

• Main announcement: JICA and AfDB launched EPSA6 at TICAD9 with a joint financing target of up to $5.5 billion for 2026-2028, adding resilience as a new priority and continuing EPSA’s focus on power, connectivity, health, agriculture and nutrition.
• Background and details: EPSA, created in 2005, has mobilized $12 billion in joint support to Africa to date; EPSA5 (2023-2025) had a $5 billion target and had reached $4 billion in joint co-financing “as of today,” with $1.6 billion of projects at an advanced stage of co-financing by end-2025. The EPSA non-sovereign component provides a line of credit from JICA to AfDB on concessional terms and has financed infrastructure projects including Bujagali Hydropower (Uganda), RASCOM, East Africa Submarine Cable System, Lekki Toll road (Nigeria), and Kigali Bulk Water Supply (Rwanda).