By Dawan Africa - Reporter
December 4 2025 - A new deal out of Rabat has pulled CDG Invest, Morocco’s investment arm, into the Growth and Resilience Platform for Africa. The agreement was signed with CDP and the African Development Bank during the Africa Investment Forum Market Days. On paper it reads like a routine technical update, but the weight underneath it is real. Especially for a private sector that’s been waiting for moves that actually shift the ground.
GRAf sits at the heart of Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa, a strategic initiative launched by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in January 2024 to foster equitable partnerships with African nations. CDP, Italy’s main development finance institution, and the African Development Bank have been shaping this platform to draw in investors willing to put actual money and expertise behind Africa’s growth story. CDG Invest stepping in adds another layer of credibility and ambition.
At the heart of it, the platform is trying to pull together up to €750 million over five years. Not just money for the sake of money, but capital pushed through funds that touch the real pressure points of any working economy such as food security, small businesses, and the kind of infrastructure that lasts. These are the sectors that rarely get long term investment, yet they’re the same ones with the power to shift whole communities when they’re funded right.
For Italy, the alignment is deliberate. Under the Mattei Plan, CDP is using its financial muscle to support international investment and help Italian enterprises play a role in Africa’s development path. Their delegation’s presence in Rabat was part of this push, highlighting both existing collaborations and the message that the private sector is central to sustainable development, not an afterthought.
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Alongside the signing, CDP took part in a session by the International Development Finance Club (IDFC) to unveil the Cooperation 4 Development Investment Forum. It’s another attempt to tighten cooperation among development banks and coordinate investments — a sign that institutions are recognising that fragmented financing won’t solve continental challenges.
What this new partnership ultimately signals is a widening circle of institutions willing to bet on Africa’s private sector, not out of charity, but because the opportunities are clear and the need is undeniable. As the agreements now move from signatures to implementation, the real test will be how much capital reaches the businesses and sectors that shape everyday life on the continent.
