The African Development Bank Group has announced a USD7 billion aviation financing and connectivity facility for African airlines.

The initiative forms part of the bank's Integrated Aviation Transformation Programme (IATP) launched on February 25 at the Airlines, Capital and Connectivity Forum co-hosted by the ADB and the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) in Nairobi, the bank announced in a statement.

Over the next five years, the initiative targets more than USD7 billion in aircraft financing, alongside broader investment in cargo, airport, and air navigation infrastructure, Kenya's Business Quest platform reported. It also includes fleet renewal and aircraft leasing solutions to help carriers access fuel-efficient aircraft on competitive terms.

The IATP is structured around three pillars: policy, safety, sustainability, and capacity building; airline and fleet modernisation supported by a pan-African financing platform; and infrastructure, connectivity, and logistics development. A second financing window, the Pooled Regional Sukuk Platform, will support airport infrastructure and airspace development.

The bank said that the initiative aligns with the African Union’s USD30 billion Continental Aviation Infrastructure Investment Plan.

The programme aims to address fragmentation in the sector, accelerate the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market, and support trade integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area.