The bank disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, following its emergence as the top-ranked institution in the 2026 Aid Transparency Index released in London by Publish What You Fund.
The AfDB scored 98.8 out of 100 points to lead the biennial ranking, which assessed 33 development institutions worldwide.
The Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank’s International Development Association jointly came second with 97.1 points each.
The ranking recognised the AfDB’s publication of comprehensive, high-quality and timely open data on its public sector activities and financial flows, making development information more accessible to stakeholders.
Despite changes in its leadership, management and strategic direction, the bank maintained its 2024 score, a development attributed to the integration of transparency into its institutional operations.
The Chief Executive Officer of Publish What You Fund, Mr Gary Forster, said the bank’s consistent performance demonstrated its strong commitment to openness and accountability.
Forster also commended improvements to the bank’s website and data dashboards, noting that the enhanced platforms had made information more accessible and useful to stakeholders.
AfDB President, Dr Sidi Ould Tah, described transparency as a critical requirement for achieving Africa’s development priorities, building public trust and strengthening accountability.
“Transparency is currency. It enables us to deliver the transformation that Africa needs. It builds trust and improves information,” Tah said.
He added that the bank’s transparency initiatives extended to Mission 300, its partnership with the World Bank aimed at connecting 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.
According to him, the programme’s progress and results are published and updated quarterly through the Mission 300 dashboard to ensure public access to relevant information.
The bank said its sustained commitment to transparency was designed to expand public access to development information, promote accountability and strengthen confidence in development financing across Africa.
