African Development Bank Tops Aid Transparency Index
The institution scored 98.8 out of 100 in the 2026 Index, placing first among 33 development organizations assessed.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Africa
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The African Development Bank ranked first among 33 institutions in the 2026 Aid Transparency Index, released in London by Publish What You Fund, with its sovereign portfolio scoring 98.8 out of 100. The Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank's International Development Association shared second place with scores of 97.1.
Why it matters
The ranking recognizes the Bank's publication of timely, comprehensive and high-quality open data on public-sector projects and financial flows. For readers across Africa and beyond, it signals how transparently development money is being tracked and reported.
The index assessed 33 institutions, and the Bank retained the identical score it recorded in 2024 after also ranking first in 2022. The average score for institutions assessed in both 2022 and 2024 slipped from 62.7 to 62.1.
The players
African Development Bank
A multilateral development finance institution headquartered in Abidjan that finances infrastructure and economic development projects across the African continent.
Publish What You Fund
A London-based global campaign and research organization that assesses the transparency of aid and development finance institutions through its annual Aid Transparency Index.
The details
The Bank's MapAfrica platform provides information on 6,000 projects across more than 18,500 locations, and Mission 300 results are published and updated quarterly through a public dashboard. Improvements to the Bank's website and data dashboards were cited as making information more accessible to stakeholders.
Timeline
2022: The African Development Bank first ranked first in the Aid Transparency Index.
2024: The Bank ranked first again and retained its score.
2026: The latest Index was released in London, with the Bank ranked first.
Travel Outlook
The result extends a series in the Publish What You Fund Aid Transparency Index in which the African Development Bank has held first place since 2022, even as the average score among repeat institutions slipped from 62.7 to 62.1. For travelers and development-sector professionals tracking African infrastructure projects, the ranking points to where project data is most accessible.
Travelers researching infrastructure or development projects in Africa can now access the Bank's MapAfrica platform, which covers 6,000 projects across more than 18,500 locations. Quarterly updates to the Mission 300 dashboard make it possible to track progress on electricity access targets for 2030.
The takeaway
Open project data makes it easier to see how development funds are being spent before visiting or investing in a region. Checking public dashboards such as MapAfrica can help travelers and researchers verify where projects are located.
Further reading
Explore more on Africa travel and development.
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