In a vibrant celebration of regional unity and progress, the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) unveiled the inaugural edition of its Integrate Africa Magazine (I.A.M.) on Monday, May 26, at the Sofitel Hotel in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The launch, a key feature of the AfDB’s 2025 Annual Meetings, marked a pivotal moment in Africa’s development narrative—celebrating a decade of strategic investments in regional integration while laying a roadmap for deeper and faster connectivity across the continent.

With dignitaries, Bank officials, development partners, and cultural ambassadors in attendance, the ceremony served not just to present a magazine, but to ignite a renewed commitment to building a borderless, resilient, and interconnected Africa.

The launch of I.A.M. is more than a publishing milestone; it is a reflection of ten years of AfDB-driven investment in infrastructure, policy harmonization, and institutional cooperation aimed at integrating the continent. With the Bank’s new Ten-Year Strategy (2024–2033) making "Integrate Africa" one of its five core operational priorities, the magazine serves as both a chronicle of achievements and a catalyst for future action.

“Africa’s integration is no longer a dream—it is a pressing development imperative,” said Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, AfDB’s Senior Vice President, in her keynote address. She highlighted signature Bank investments in transport, energy, digital corridors, and cross-border trade facilitation as transformative forces reshaping Africa’s connectivity landscape.

The magazine’s content is a vivid tapestry of voices, data, and field stories. It profiles 12 transformative Bank-funded projects, each exemplifying what real integration looks like on the ground:

The stories are not only about infrastructure but also about people. The “Views from the Ground” segment features interviews with young Africans, traders, students, border agents, and entrepreneurs, all expressing one unified sentiment: Africa’s development depends on fast-tracked integration.

Their testimonies reveal the tangible obstacles to integration—from long customs delays and poor road infrastructure to fragmented regulations—but also the untapped potential if such challenges are addressed.

Nnenna Nwabufo, AfDB Vice President for Regional Development, Integration, and Business Delivery, emphasized that integration must be a lived, everyday experience for all Africans—not just a policy objective.

“It must mean seamless mobility, affordable regional trade, and real economic opportunities, especially for women and youth,” she said during a fireside chat at the launch.

The magazine celebrates these efforts with human stories of cross-border trade successes, interviews with African logistics pioneers, and features on regional policy reforms that are enabling trade and economic partnerships in the AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area) era.

In addition to the high-level dialogue, the launch event included a cultural showcase highlighting Africa’s unity in diversity. Dancers, musicians, and artisans performed in front of delegates, underlining the cultural glue that holds Africa together even as infrastructure connects its regions.

The event reflected the philosophy behind I.A.M.: that integration is not only about building bridges and roads—it is about building shared identity, economic interdependence, and collective resilience.

The I.A.M. launch signals not just a retrospective but a call to action. Africa remains the least integrated region in the world, and the road to full connectivity—physically, digitally, and economically—is long. The magazine reminds readers of the urgency of completing cross-border infrastructure, finalizing customs harmonization, expanding power-sharing agreements, and leveraging digital platforms for inclusion.

“We are on track, but we must do more—faster and together,” said Akin-Olugbade.

The Bank is already looking ahead, with plans to deepen investment in digital integration, green corridors, regional industrial zones, and cross-border fintech, all with the goal of ensuring that integration fuels inclusive growth, climate resilience, and economic diversification.

Integrate Africa Magazine (I.A.M.) is a new flagship communication product from the AfDB, offering a pan-African lens on regional integration. With a mix of policy analysis, field reporting, multimedia content, and visionary thought leadership, it will serve as a platform for stakeholders across Africa to learn, engage, and act on integration-related issues.

The magazine can be accessed online at the AfDB website and is available in English and French, with upcoming editions expected to feature translated summaries in Arabic and Portuguese.

As the AfDB’s Annual Meetings draw to a close, the launch of I.A.M. stands as a testament to how far Africa has come—and a reminder of what remains to be done. In the words of the magazine’s editorial:

“Integration is not a destination. It is a journey of unity, growth, and shared progress. Every African is a stakeholder in this story.”