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Webinar : OECD Multilateral Development Finance Week 2026

June 15, 2026
Related topics: 
International Relations
International Organisations
International Cooperation
Economy
Climate change and biodiversity
Africa

As part of the OECD Multilateral Development Finance Week 2026 (MDF Week), the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS) is organizing a webinar entitled “Rethinking Development Finance: African Agency and the Future of Multilateral Development Co-operation after ODA Retrenchment.” The discussion aims to contribute to ongoing reflections on the future of development finance and the evolving role of African countries in shaping more sustainable and equitable development partnerships.


As of mid-2026, the global development finance landscape is undergoing a profound structural shift. A historic decline in traditional Official Development Assistance (ODA)—driven by fiscal consolidation and shifting domestic priorities among major Development Assistance Committee (DAC) donors—has exposed the vulnerabilities of a development model reliant on external aid. This retrenchment is creating substantial financing gaps in critical areas like public health, climate adaptation, and infrastructure across Sub-Saharan Africa.


However, this crisis of traditional aid also presents a pivotal opportunity for African nations to redefine their development sovereignty. This session brings together African policymakers, global development finance leaders, and civil society experts to explore how the continent can transition from a donor-recipient paradigm toward a model anchored in self-reliance, strategic autonomy, and local agency.

Speakers
Oumayma Bourhriba
Senior Economist
Oumayma Bourhriba is a Senior Economist at the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS).At the PCNS, which she joined in 2019, Oumayma Bourhriba conducts research focusing on macroeconomic policies and international trade, with a particular emphasis on services.She has contributed to major publications on the Moroccan economy, such as the IMF’s Morocco's Quest for Stronger and Inclusive Growth (2023) and the World Bank’s Trade Policy in Morocco: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead (2023). Beyond her research, she has coordinated the Africa Economic Symposium, one of the flagship convenings organized by the PCNS.Oumayma Bourhriba holds a master’s degree in applied economics from University Mohammed V (UM5), where she is currently a PhD candidate.She is fluent in Arabic, English, ...
Otaviano Canuto
Senior Fellow
Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, Affiliate Professor at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Brookings Institute. Former Vice President and Executive Director at the World Bank, Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Vice President at the Inter-American Development Bank. ...
Karim El Aynaoui
Executive President
Karim El Aynaoui is Executive President of the Policy Center for the New South. He is also Executive Vice-President of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and Dean of its Humanities, Economics and Social Sciences Cluster. From 2005 to 2012, he worked at the Central Bank of Morocco (Bank Al-Maghrib) as Director of Economics, Statistics, and International Relations. He also created and headed the Research Department and served as a member of the Governor’s Cabinet. Previously, he worked for eight years at the World Bank as an economist for its regional units of the Middle East and North Africa and Africa. Karim El Aynaoui has published books and journal articles on macroeconomic issues in developing countries. He has co-authored works on growth and the labor market in M ...
Hafez Ghanem
Senior Fellow
Hafez Ghanem – who holds a PhD in Economics from the University of California, Davis – is Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a development expert with a large number of academic publications; and more than forty-year experience in policy analysis, project formulation and supervision, and management of multinational institutions.  He has worked in over 40 countries in Africa, Europe and Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa, and South East Asia.   Between 2015 and 2022 he was Vice President of the World Bank, initially responsible for the Middle East and North Africa, then for Sub-Saharan Africa and then East and Southern Africa.     In this latter capacity he was responsible for developing and implementing the World Bank ...
Mahmoud Mohieldin
Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, United Nations
...

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