On October 9-10th Bridgewater convened global leaders to present its research on Sub-Saharan Africa’s growth trajectory at the Economic Development Assembly in Côte d’Ivoire. Co-hosted with partners Global Citizen and Harith General Partners, the Assembly focused on its mission to support the World Bank’s 21st International Development Association (IDA) replenishment.
The Assembly followed our initial commitment this April (2024) to the World Bank that we would combine Bridgewater’s research capabilities with Global Citizen’s convening power to advance the actions necessary to make a positive impact on the African continent through urging a strong IDA replenishment.
Five months after announcing our partnership, Bridgewater gathered in Abidjan with African heads of state, policymakers, multilateral development banks, private sector leaders, and key members of civil society to collaborate and share key insights with stakeholders most affected by the demographic shifts in Sub-Saharan Africa.
![Bridgewater CEO Nir Bar Dea alongside Economic Development Assembly partners Hugh Evans (CEO, Global Citizen), Ajay Banga (President, World Bank), and Tshepo Mahloele (Founder & Chairman, Harith General Partners). [From left to right: Hugh Evans; Ajay Banga; Nir Bar Dea; Tshepo Mahloele]](https://bridgewater.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/90d37f8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5858x3906+0+0/resize/840x560!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbridgewater-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fc1%2Fea%2Fe8628d494bae899e63e579a804fd%2F2177667309.jpg)
CEO Nir Bar Dea delivered a keynote to open the Assembly, while Deputy CEO Porter Diehl and Co-Head of Investment Implementation Devon Long discussed the research that Bridgewater produced which highlighted the impact that economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa could have on the global economy. They highlighted the critical need to raise both the amount of public investment in the region and to create a virtuous investment cycle for development in order to ensure that positive growth is sustained for generations to come.
Stakeholders across public, private, and civil sectors have publicly committed to support Africa’s economic development by signing the Abidjan Accord, a call to action from like-minded leaders to the G-20 nations to increase IDA replenishment this year by 20 percent.
The Economic Development Assembly marks another step forward for Africa’s future—and for our global future.