Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, 29 May 2026 — The African Legal Support Facility (“ALSF” or “Facility”) successfully convened its 51st Management Board (“Board”) Meeting and 17th Governing Council (“Council” or the “GC”) Annual Meeting at the Kintele International Conference Center, held on the sidelines of the African Development Bank Group’s 2026 Annual Meetings.
The Governing Council commended the Facility’s advisory services and capacity building activities, which continue to support member states in accelerating their sustainable economic development.
Both the Board and the Council respectively reviewed and approved the Facility’s 2025 Annual Report, highlighting key achievements, partnerships and outreach efforts, corporate governance milestones and project outcomes, while also addressing emerging risk and challenges. In 2025, the ALSF reached a historic milestone, with a 150% increase in project requests across its four key sectors, natural resources and extractives, energy, infrastructure public-private partnerships, and sovereign debt and creditor disputes, while also securing endorsement of its new Financial Sustainability Strategy aimed at diversifying funding sources and increasing member countries contributions.
The two statutory organs further examined the 2025 audited financial statements, along with progress reports on project implementation. They were also briefed on the progress of the implementation of the ALSF Financial Sustainability Strategy.
Mr. Olivier Pognon, Director of the Facility, highlighted the dedication and accessibility of both Board and Council members over the years. He expressed his appreciation for their continued confidence in the ALSF team and reaffirmed the team’s commitment and determination to further intensify efforts toward achieving the Facility’s objectives.
On the margin of the statutory meetings, the ALSF team engaged in several bilateral discussions with ministerial delegations from regional and non-regional member countries, as well as with donors and partner institutions, reinforcing cooperation and exploring new opportunities to support member states.
The ALSF Management Board is responsible for the efficient and effective conduct of the operations of the Facility, as well as the approval of its budget and the appointment of its director. The Board comprises five members of high integrity and competence, acting in their individual capacity and are appointed by the Governing Council for a three-year, non-renewable term. The current members of the Board are Dr. Christoph Kohlmeyer (Chairperson), Dr. Roland Amoussou-Guenou, Dr. Felister Kivisi, Ms. Sonia Zouaoui and Ms. Samallie Kiyingi.
The ALSF Governing Council is the supreme organ of the ALSF. It is composed of twelve (12) substantive members and seven (7) alternate members representing member states and participating international organizations. The current Governing Council is composed of the following substantive members Congo, Senegal, Egypt, Ethiopia, São Tomé e Principe, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the African Development Bank, Belgium, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Brazil, which participate through their designated representatives.
About the ALSF
Established by the African Development Bank in 2008, the ALSF assists African governments in negotiating complex commercial transactions and providing legal and technical assistance and developing capacity building tools in the key sectors of infrastructure and public-private partnerships, energy, natural resources and extractive industries, as well as in sovereign debt and creditor disputes.
Contact us
Eve Ehoura, Communication Officer: e.ehoura@afdb.org
ALSF Website: https://alsf.int