Sustainable Finance Knowledge Center for Francophone Africa

The Sustainable Finance Knowledge Center is a platform for knowledge sharing and capacity building on sustainable finance dedicated to business leaders of French-speaking Africa, with a specific focus on SMEs. 

This center will include a virtual platform and events in French that will provide the knowledge and impetus necessary to:

• Equip market leaders in French-speaking Africa with the necessary knowledge in sustainable finance to redirect funding towards the development of projects with a positive impact on the environment.
• Support the African climate agenda and turn aspirations into climate action.
• Make the French-speaking African sub-region a driving force in the fight against climate change.

The Center focuses on the green and climate finance ecosystem, its instruments, its actors, its uses, and its implications. By extension, the Center offers information on financial instruments in related fields, such as sustainable finance or financing for development in
the following formats:

• Online training and webinars
• Reference documents such as reports, guides, technical notes
• Climate champions case studies
• Highly practical content tailored to the issues faced by Francophone African bankers
• In-person events to develop a network of climate champions

The Center was conceived and will be managed by the alliance of six partners including IFC Green Bond Technical Assistance Program (GB-TAP), the World Bank Compact with Africa Green Business Fund (CwA-GBF), West African Development Bank (BOAD), Luxembourg Stock Exchange, the Financial Markets Authority of the West African Monetary Union (AMF-UMOA) and SME Finance Forum.