World Bank & AfDB-Funded Tenders in Africa: How to Find and Win Development Bank Contracts in 2026

Every year, the World Bank Group disburses approximately US$35 billion and the African Development Bank Group US$10 billion into development projects across Africa. The vast majority of this money — for road construction, health facilities, digital infrastructure, agricultural development, and education — is spent through competitive procurement. And contrary to popular belief, most of these contracts are won by local and regional firms, not international companies.

Understanding how to access development bank procurement is one of the highest-value skills a Kenyan or African business can develop. Here's the complete playbook.

How World Bank and AfDB Procurement Actually Works

Development bank procurement is different from direct government procurement in one critical way: the money is channelled through government implementing agencies, but the procurement rules are set by the development bank. This means the procuring entity is the government ministry or agency — but the tender is governed by World Bank or AfDB Procurement Regulations, not domestic procurement law.

This has practical implications:

• Tenders are published internationally — on the bank's global portals, not just local government portals
• Evaluation is more rigorous and transparent — development banks actively audit procurement processes
• Local preference rules apply — World Bank and AfDB both have local content provisions that give domestic firms a price preference of 5–15%
• Contract values tend to be larger — development bank projects are typically US$1 million to US$500 million+ in individual contracts

Where to Find World Bank-Funded Tenders in Africa

1. World Bank STEP — The Primary Portal

STEP (Systematic Tracking of Exchanges in Procurement) at projects.worldbank.org is the World Bank's official procurement portal. All procurement plans and tender notices for World Bank-funded projects are published here.

• How to search: Go to projects.worldbank.org → Procurement → search by country or sector
• Key filter: Select 'Kenya' (or your target country) and 'Active Projects' to see current procurement pipelines
• Registration: Create a STEP account to receive email notifications for matching opportunities

2. DgMarket — The Broadest Development Finance Aggregator

DgMarket (dgmarket.com) aggregates procurement notices from the World Bank, AfDB, UNDP, EU, ADB, and other development finance institutions into a single searchable platform. It is the most comprehensive source for development bank tenders globally.

• Free registration gives you access to millions of tender notices
• Set up email alerts by country and sector for automated daily notifications

Where to Find AfDB-Funded Tenders in Africa

The African Development Bank publishes all project-related procurement notices through two channels:

• AFDB official portal: afdb.org/en/about-us/corporate-procurement → Current Solicitations
• DgMarket: dgmarket.com (as above — filters to AfDB-funded specifically)
• Key active AfDB projects: Abidjan-Lagos corridor development (covering Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria), COMESA digital infrastructure, East Africa climate adaptation projects, NEPAD agricultural programmes

Top Active World Bank Projects in Africa Right Now

Kenya

• Kenya COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness — health systems procurement
• Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project — ICT infrastructure and digital services
• Kenya Affordable Housing and Urban Development — construction and building materials
• Kenya Transport Sector Support Program — road construction and traffic management

Nigeria

• Nigeria for Women Programme — women's economic empowerment and livelihoods
• NESP (Nigeria Education Support Program) — school infrastructure and materials
• SERIP (States Employment and Expenditure for Results Program) — professional services

Ghana

• Ghana SADA Agricultural Development — agribusiness inputs and infrastructure
• Ghana Secondary Education Improvement Project — school construction and materials
• Ghana Digital Foundations for Jobs — ICT and digital skills

East Africa Regional

• East Africa Regional Transport, Trade and Development Facilitation Program — cross-border infrastructure
• Great Lakes Emergency Sexual and Reproductive Health Program — health supplies

The Local Preference Advantage — How to Use It

Both the World Bank and AfDB grant price preferences to domestic bidders in country-level procurements:

• World Bank: 7.5% price preference for national firms in goods and works contracts (in International Competitive Bidding)
• AfDB: 5–15% price preference for regional African suppliers over non-African competitors

This means a Kenyan firm bidding KSh 100 million competes against a European firm bidding KSh 107 million — effectively a 7.5% discount on your price. Combined with local knowledge, language, and operational proximity, this preference often makes domestic firms the compelling choice.

How to Win Development Bank Contracts: The Key Differences

Development bank procurement evaluations are more detailed and rigorous than typical government tenders:

1. Technical and financial proposals are fully separated and independently evaluated
2. Reference projects must be specifically similar — not just 'construction experience' but 'urban road rehabilitation contracts of similar scale'
3. Team CVs are verified — key experts must have the qualifications stated; misrepresentation triggers disqualification and debarment
4. Environmental and social compliance is evaluated — you need an environmental and social management plan
5. Anti-corruption certifications are mandatory — any past debarment from any development bank disqualifies you globally

Businesses that invest in building a genuine development bank track record — one or two completed World Bank or AfDB project contracts — find doors opening across the continent that were previously inaccessible. The rigour of the process is what makes the contracts prestigious and high-paying.