PAFDI supports governments, regional and international organisation with financial re-engineering and financial governance, in alignment with their development planning and implementation processes. These include projects in the area of:

• Public financial management
• Aid coordination, debt management and financing strategies
• Domestic resource mobilisation, taxation and customs
• Public-private partnerships and mobilising private investment
• Financial integrity, transparency, accountability systems

The projects on Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) and Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFF) are part of this work stream.

In order to address Africa’s development challenges financial and non-monetary (technical and knowledge) resources need to be mobilized not only from within the continent but also from external sources, including North and South development partners. PAFDI supports policy research around:

• Aid effectiveness and aid coordination
• South-South and Triangular cooperation
• Regional cooperation and integration

PAFDI is currently supporting UNAIDS to conduct a study on the contribution of emerging economies to the global health response through South-South cooperation.

The Sustainable Development Goals and the development aspirations of Africa’s Agenda 2063 cannot be achieved without mobilizing substantial resources from the private sector. PAFDI unpacks the role of business in stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship, opening markets for trade and investment, generating employment, and bringing more technical and financial resources to Africa’s socio-economic development. Some of the areas of focus of PAFDI include:

• Impact investing
• Venture capital & SME development
• Public-Private Partnerships & Blended Finance
• Climate Finance & Green Bonds
• Philanthropy
• CSR, ESG & Sustainable Business

Cross-cutting to all the work of PAFDI is the pivotal role that data and evidence play in driving policies and programmes of institutions and countries to achieve sustainable development objectives. PAFDI works with seasoned data analysts, monitoring and evaluation experts, economists, statisticians, environmental specialist, social and political scientists in providing reliable evidence to inform financing strategies for sustainable development. Among the services PAFDI provides are:

• Baseline & situational analysis
• Independent audits
• Economic & policy research
• Monitoring & evaluation
• Social Returns on Investments
• Data & Information Management Systems
• Impact assessments and evaluations
• Environmental and carbon footprints
• Innovation, AI and digital technologies

PAFDI’s Agricultural Advisory Services integrate research, policy advice, and technical assistance to support the transformation of African agriculture through sustainable financing and inclusive growth.

Our work is anchored in five priority areas:

• Research & Knowledge Generation
  Conducting applied research to bridge data gaps in agricultural financing and development, providing insights to guide both policy and investment decisions.
• Financing Enablement
  Supporting agribusinesses and cooperatives to develop bankable proposals and financial strategies, while collaborating with financial institutions to design agriculture-sensitive products that de-risk investment.
• Capacity Building & Technical Advice
  Delivering policy advice and hands-on training to agripreneurs, agricultural professionals, and relevant public institutions—strengthening strategic planning, financial management, and adoption of climate-resilient practices.
• Policy Dialogue & Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships
  Facilitating dialogue and collaboration across governments, private sector actors, and development partners to ensure agricultural advisory services are aligned with national priorities and continental financing frameworks.
• Innovation & Digital Integration
  Incorporating innovative approaches—from data analytics to digital platforms and ESG frameworks—to improve service delivery, market linkages, and decision-making across agrifood systems.

Through these initiatives, PAFDI leverages research-driven insights and multi-stakeholder engagement to promote innovation, resilience, and inclusivity in Africa’s agricultural sector.