FINHUB UFFI
“URBAN OPPORTUNITY FAST FORWARD INITIATIVE” : A Game-Changing Initiative for Financing & Investing in Africa’s Urban Development & Transition
The Urban Opportunity Fast Forward Initiative proposes an integrated political, strategic and technical solution to bridge the urban development and transition financing gap.
The African Chapter of the initiative proposes a common response to one of the continent’s top challenges: absorbing the financing of the high demand for urban infrastructure and public service provision to ensure economic and social prosperity and stability.
- A new regional architecture for urban development financing
- Enhanced capacity of urban development ministries to access finance across Africa
- A reference one-stop-shop of financial engineering solutions
- A new elite of regional & domestic urban finance engineers
Political Level: a “Leaders League”
At the political level, the mechanism is designed, launched and driven by a “Leaders League” of African Champion Countries under the institutional umbrella of the AMUF Alliance.
This Leaders League – led by Ministers for Urban Development and, gradually, supported by African Heads of States & Governments, Climate, and Finance Ministers, domestic networks of Mayors & Governors – steers a continental initiative on urban development and transition financing, and builds partnerships to get the support of Public Development Banks (with a multilateral, national or subnational mandate), Local and Regional Governments networks, UN Agencies, and coalitions of Institutional and Private Investors.
Technical Level: creating a Pan-African “FinHub”
This African FinHub is a collaborative expert hub of financial engineering in urban development and transition financing.
The African FinHub is a one-stop-shop pooling the information, expertise and contacts on urbanization financing opportunities for Urbanization Ministries and for Local & Regional Governments and their utilities.
Its main objective is to strengthen the capacities of Ministries of Urban Development, Local and Regional Governments and National/Subnational Development Banks to seize the urban opportunity and finance the urban transition and resilience.
5 Reasons for African Leaders to support the Transformative Change proposed by UFFI
- Align with a high-level mobilization of African Leaders relying on the proven efficiency of FMDV and Globa lDF solutions and advocacy.
- Make urban development and transition financing a key priority during the 2023 series of high-level events.
- Ensure high political impact and visibility for this transformative and systemic game-changing initiative, and attract a new set of financing partners.
- Highlight the inspiring role of African Leaders.
- Call Heads of States and Governments and Ministers to launch the same kind of dynamic in other regions.
5 Reasons for Partners to support the Transformative Change proposed by UFFI
- Develop investment portfolio at the subnational level in Africa and seize the urban infrastructure market opportunity.
- Place urban development and transition financing at the center of the discussions of the reform of the international financial architecture.
- Contribute to the design of a new regional financial architecture for urban development and transition financing in Africa relying on a new elite of African financial engineers.
- Set up a reference one-stop-shop of financial engineering solutions and updated institutional contacts and experts directory made available to African governments, and opened to all institutions, initiatives and partners which are providing financing and technical assistance on the urban development and transition market/sector.
- Echo African institutional dynamics and led by Urban Development Ministers as game-changers and leaders of the transformation of the continent, together with networks of Mayors and Governors.
Contact Us
Carlos de Freitas – Executive Director – cdefreitas@fmdv.net
Melissa Kerim-Dikeni – Senior Advisor – mkerimdikeni@fmdv.net
Fantin Ferreux – Project Officer – fferreux@fmdv.net