E&S: Strengthening safeguards, building capacity

More than 40 delegates from 12 African countries gathered at the OPEC Fund Headquarters in Vienna for three days of intensive training on environmental and social (E&S) safeguards in June 2026. 

Organized jointly with the African Development Bank (AfDB), the event marked the launch of a two-phase initiative designed to strengthen African institutions’ capacity to apply international safeguard standards and adapt them to national contexts. 

The initiative comes at a pivotal time. African nations have made great strides in establishing national safeguard frameworks, but alignment with the evolving requirements of international financial institutions (IFIs) and multilateral development banks (MDBs) remains complex. With the AfDB’s Updated Integrated Safeguards System (ISS), effective since May 2024, and the OPEC Fund’s ESG Policy, effective from March 2023, the two institutions saw both an opportunity and a responsibility: to help countries close gaps, learn from peers and build a stronger foundation for sustainable development. 

A rapidly changing landscape 

In his opening remarks, Musab Alomar, OPEC Fund Vice President, Strategy reflected on the scale of the challenge: “The E&S landscape has changed faster than our capacity to manage it. Requirements are more complex, timelines are shorter, and resources are often stretched. The result can be duplication, delays – or worse, diluted protections for people and ecosystems.” 

This evolution is also a story of progress. Pierre Biedermann, CEO of the consultancy Alpage who also does work for the OPEC Fund, reminded delegates that 20 years ago E&S requirements were narrowly defined. Today, MDBs require structured systems that cover land acquisition, biodiversity, cultural heritage, climate and vulnerable groups. 

A tailored program 

The Vienna workshop was the first phase of a broader program running until end- 2026. Delegates from Benin, Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo and Uganda took part, with follow-up in-country refresher sessions to be delivered by AfDB in collaboration with the OPEC Fund. A second phase will extend the same model to eight additional African countries. Together, the two phases aim to activate a pan-African peer-learning community. The three-day agenda was intensive but focused: 

1. Regulatory frameworks, roles of institutions, monitoring and reporting 
2. Resettlement, biodiversity, community health and cultural heritage 
3. Social inclusion, gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH)/sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH), vulnerable groups. 

The workshop builds directly on the Environmental and Social Country System Assessments (CSAs) that the AfDB, often in collaboration with the World Bank, has been conducting across the continent. These CSAs review each country’s legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks for managing E&S risks. By mid-2025, more than 40 African countries have undergone such assessments, covering over 80 percent of the continent. The Vienna training translated these analytical findings into practical learning for policymakers and practitioners. 

One size does not fit all 

The central question running through the workshop was how to reconcile national systems with international requirements. 

Issa Maman-Sani, Director of the Environmental & Social Safeguards and Compliance Department at AfDB asked: “Where do we strike the right balance between national policies and international standards?” The OPEC Fund echoed the point: “What certainly does not work is a one-size-fits-all approach. MDBs are indispensable partners, but we must engage with sensitivity and care,” Vice President Alomar said. 

Toward stronger institutions 

What distinguished the workshop was the emphasis on institutional strengthening, not just compliance. Delegates explored how safeguards can be embedded into agency checklists, bidding documents and grievance systems. 

AfDB and OPEC Fund teams will travel to participating countries to help ministries refine tools and procedures, ensuring lessons from Vienna translate into practice. 

Looking ahead 

While the three-day workshop was ambitious, all participants viewed it as just the beginning. By end of 2026, a community of practice spanning West, Central, North and East Africa will be in place. 

Issa Maman-Sani, AfDB, said: “Normalizing safeguards has brought greater efficiency. This collaboration with the OPEC Fund is an excellent start.” Rofikat Odetoro, Director of the Environmental Assessment Department at the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria, added: “We often tell ourselves we don’t have quality professionals. I beg to differ. With the right training and support, we will build the expertise we need.” 

OPEC Fund Vice President Alomar concluded: “We have distilled decades of field experience into practical guidance you can deploy the next morning – not in six months.” 

Environmental and Social safeguards: A practical approach 

The workshop focused on real-world issues and solutions rather than abstract policy

• Resettlement - Edith Kahubire (AfDB) highlighted risks of impoverishment when displacement is not properly managed. 
• Biodiversity - Mike Maunder, Kew REACH, a consultancy, emphasized that 20 percent of Africa’s land is degraded and US$20 billion lost annually to siltation. 
• Community & Occupational Health - Gaurav Joshi, World Bank, covered risks from communicable diseases to dam safety. 
• Vulnerable Groups - AfDB’s Integrated Safeguards System, the bank’s approach to sustainable development, now recognizes broader categories including female-headed households, disabled persons and rural minorities. 
• GBVH/SEAH - Florentine Tchoffo, AfDB, reminded participants that violence against women costs US$1.5 trillion annually (2 percent of global GDP). 
• Cultural Heritage - Issa Maman-Sani, AfDB, stressed heritage as both tangible and intangible 

Benin 

Digitalizing Safeguards 

• 2022 decree aligned national E&S procedures with MDB standards. • Approvals partially digitalized through an e-service platform. • Plans underway for full digitalization of permits. • Accreditation system for E&S evaluators in progress. • Sector-specific Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) guides being developed. 

Nigeria 

Certification for the Future 

• Strong legal base (EIA Act, AfDB, sectoral guidelines). • Persistent bottlenecks: delays, overlaps, weak monitoring. • Insufficient stakeholder engagement undermines projects. • Proposal: a national certification system for E&S professionals, modeled on chartered professions. • Would strengthen accountability and raise professional standards. MAURITANIA 

A New Legal Landscape 

• Recent laws (2018–2024) cover: – Air pollution (2018) – Biosafety (2022) – Solid waste (2023) – Hydrogen economy (2024) – Urban planning (2024) 

• Wide sector coverage: agriculture, mining, oil & gas, fisheries. 

• National DECE (Environmental Evaluation & Control Directorate) issues permits. 

Who are vulnerable groups? 

The AfDB’s Integrated Safeguards System (ISS), Operational Safeguard (OS7) expands protection beyond “Indigenous Peoples” to a broader set of groups that may be disproportionately affected by projects: 

• Female-headed households 
• Youth and children 
• Persons with disabilities 
• The elderly 
• Rural minorities, highly vulnerable rural minorities 
• Groups marginalized by ethnicity, religion, language, sexual orientation or gender identity
• Those dependent on land/natural resources at risk of losing access. 

Why it matters 

Vulnerable groups often face multiple risks at once: poverty, discrimination, limited access to services and are less able to cope or recover from project impacts. OS7 ensures that they participate equitably in development and share in its benefits. 

In conclusion 

The Vienna workshop on environmental and social safeguards was more than a training event. It was a call to action, a recognition that sustainable development in Africa depends not only on infrastructure and finance but also on the institutions, people and systems that safeguard them. 

By combining the OPEC Fund’s convening power with AfDB’s continental leadership, the initiative demonstrates what partnership can achieve: building capacity, fostering dialogue and laying the groundwork for stronger, more resilient national systems. 

As Africa pursues ambitious development goals while protecting its people and ecosystems such partnerships will be indispensable. The journey has only begun, but the destination is clear: a future where safeguards are not obstacles but enablers of sustainable growth.