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The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a new response framework worth up to $5.1 billion to help African countries cope with rising energy and fertiliser costs stemming from ongoing global market disruptions.

The Bank’s Board of Directors approved the Global Energy and Fertiliser Crisis Response Framework (GEFCRF) on 1 September 2026, creating a mechanism to provide rapid financial support to member countries facing economic pressure from higher commodity prices and supply chain disruptions.

The initiative will be backed by an additional $4.1 billion in African Development Bank lending and up to $960 million from the African Development Fund, the institution’s concessional financing arm. The new resources will raise the Bank Group’s 2026 lending target to approximately $12.7 billion.

According to the AfDB, the framework is intended to provide immediate assistance while helping countries build stronger, more resilient economies capable of withstanding future shocks. It draws on lessons learned from previous programmes, including the Bank’s COVID-19 Response Facility and the African Emergency Food Production Facility.

The Bank said the framework comes as African economies continue to grapple with the effects of the conflict-driven disruption of global energy, food and fertiliser markets. Rising prices for imported commodities, coupled with strained trade routes and logistical bottlenecks, have increased costs, delayed deliveries and exposed weaknesses in supply chains across the continent.

Under the one-year framework, support will be tailored to the needs and vulnerability levels of individual countries. The programme will be reviewed before any extension is considered.

The response plan is built around four key objectives: stabilising macroeconomic conditions; securing food, energy and fertiliser supplies; protecting vulnerable households and essential public spending; and supporting reforms aimed at boosting long-term resilience.

Measures under the framework include counter-cyclical financing, emergency trade finance, targeted social protection programmes and policy reforms designed to reduce dependence on volatile international commodity markets. The initiative also seeks to strengthen local and regional supply chains and improve countries’ readiness to respond to future crises.

“This framework is about listening and responding to the urgent needs of African countries, helping them protect households and vulnerable populations, keep food, fertiliser and energy systems functioning, and preserve hard-won development gains while building greater resilience for the future,” said Abdul Kamara, Acting Vice President for Country and Regional Operations.

“A crisis response must do more than cushion the shock. It must make countries stronger. That is exactly what this framework aims to achieve,” Kamara added.

Martin Fregene, Officer in Charge Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, highlighted the impact of the crisis on farmers across the continent.

“The Bank’s new Global Energy and Fertiliser Crisis Response Framework gives us a way to respond to the pressures African farmers are facing as the conflict in the Middle East disrupts global trade,” Fregene said.

He warned that high fertiliser prices and shortages could reduce fertiliser use and weaken crop yields, threatening food production. Access to finance, he said, would help businesses maintain fertiliser supplies while longer-term efforts focus on expanding local production and strengthening fertiliser markets across Africa.

The African Development Bank Group, which operates in 41 African countries and serves 54 regional member states, said the framework is designed to protect development gains while helping countries navigate an increasingly uncertain global economic environment.