Abstract:
The New Development Bank (NDB) launched its first project in Africa on April
13, 2016, and on August 17, 2017, the Bank opened its Africa Regional Centre
(ARC) in Johannesburg, South Africa. This article assesses the NDB's presence
in Africa. It addresses the following questions: what role is the NDB playing in
Africa? What is the ARC and why was its created? How well have the NDB and
the ARC been performing? Have they delivered on their intended purpose? If
the NDB or the ARC have not performed as well as hoped, or expected, what
has stood in their way? We assess the NDB and the ARC within the context of
the general experience of some of the projects that the NDB has been financing
in Africa and determine whether there are lessons that can help the NDB as it
expands further into the continent. The main policy recommendation is that the
ARC be strengthened in ways that enhance the NDB's transparency and make it
a truly new type of multilateral development bank.
