• The African Development Bank commits $100 million to support Arise IIP’s expansion in Africa

• The investment targets special economic zones and agro-industrial processing platforms

• Arise IIP has mobilized $7 billion and created 50,000 jobs across 47 sectors

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $100 million equity investment in Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP) to accelerate the rollout of special economic zones (SEZs) and integrated industrial platforms across multiple African countries. The decision underscores AfDB’s strategy to support industrial development through structured, large-scale partnerships.

Arise IIP is active in countries such as Gabon, Benin, and Togo, where it develops modern industrial parks that consolidate infrastructure, streamline customs processes, and improve logistics connectivity to global markets. The company’s model aims to reduce inefficiencies and promote value-added production closer to the source of raw materials.

The investment is aligned with AfDB’s Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) program, which seeks to enhance agricultural value chains by promoting local processing of raw goods. According to Dr. Beth Dunford, AfDB’s Vice President for Agriculture, the initiative will help create sustainable employment, maximize use of local natural resources, and lower the carbon footprint of African exports.

This latest financing complements a series of recent funding rounds secured by Arise IIP. In March 2025, the company raised $450 million from Afreximbank to develop industrial zones in Nigeria, Chad, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, the DRC, and Malawi. In October 2024, it secured an additional $443 million from regional investors, including the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and the Fund for African Export Development (FEDA), an investment arm of Afreximbank.

To date, Arise IIP has facilitated the establishment of over 400 companies across its network of industrial platforms, operating in 47 different sectors. These zones have reportedly generated nearly 50,000 direct and indirect jobs and attracted more than $7 billion in investments, positioning the company as a key driver of Africa’s industrialization strategy.