The advocacy meeting of the 20th Replenishment of the resources of the International Development Association (IDA-20), opened on Thursday, July 15, 2021 in Abidjan in the presence of more than a dozen African heads of state. They called for a strong twentieth replenishment of IDA20 to support economic transformation efforts.

Thirteen African Heads of State and Government have taken firm resolve to accelerate economic recovery from the shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, step up investment in human capital and intensify their job creation efforts. They called for a strong twentieth replenishment of the World Bank Group's International Development Association (IDA-20) to support these efforts. This replenishment aims to support a strong recovery following the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and to help the African continent to continue its economic transformation.

In a joint statement endorsed at the meeting, the Heads of State stressed that economic recovery, job creation and investments in human capital are essential to help people recover from the shocks of the pandemic, out of extreme poverty and build a more resilient and inclusive future. On employment, the leaders embarked on job creation efforts by developing the private sector, with a focus on improving productivity through large-scale digitalization, mechanization, African manufacturing, better access to finance and a better business environment. On human capital, leaders called for education systems that support the acquisition and use of the skills needed for the jobs of tomorrow, and resilient health systems, adaptive safety nets and service delivery systems. . On behalf of economic recovery, the Heads of State expressed their determination to support the structural and spatial transformation of economies, through better economic diversification and regional development within countries and regions, coupled with macroeconomic stability with particular attention to public debt sustainability, security and better preparedness to protect economies and populations from various crises. Recognizing the high volumes of finance needed to match the level of ambition of their development agenda, leaders stressed the importance of maximizing domestic and external finance resources.