2022 Results: Strong growth and new European commitments for Expertise France

Last year, Expertise France, the French international technical cooperation agency, saw a 5% growth in its activity which reached a business volume of €341 million. Expertise France launched 175 new cooperation projects around the world, with two-thirds in Africa and the Middle East. At the request of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the agency has also committed to double the number of international technical experts deployed in France’s partner countries between 2020 and 2023. This objective will be achieved by the end of the year. This underscores the soundness of Expertise France’s economic model which has enabled its successful integration into AFD Group.

 

The key priorities of last year include our support for “Team Europe” initiatives and cooperation projects, our contribution to the renewed and peer-to-peer Africa-France partnership, our support to European neighbourhood countries for convergence towards EU standards, our assistance to countries for their just energy transition, and the strengthening of security for vulnerable populations.

 

Increasingly important role in AFD Group

The integration of Expertise France into AFD Group in January 2022 has enabled it to continue and step up its action for sustainable development. The year was marked by the strong growth in the agency’s activity and a greater impact in its partner countries. The agency conducted half of its activity with French financing, including 21% for projects in the AFD Group format, against 19% in 2021. The year 2022 thereby underscores the strength of the partnership with AFD and French ministries.

 

Expertise France remains a resolutely European agency. The European Union represented half of its activity in 2022. In addition, this month the agency is taking up the presidency of the Practitioners’ Network, the network of European cooperation agencies, and will be pursuing the ambition of strengthening their ties within Team Europe and with their partner countries.

 

Building on its multi-sectoral expertise, Expertise France remains committed to the Sustainable Development Goals in key areas: peace, stability and security (29% of the total business volume in 2022), health (18%), economic and financial governance (11%), governance, justice and human rights (10%), sustainable development (10%) and human capital and social development (9%).

 

Expertise France today operates in 145 countries and adapts its strategy to the issues facing each region, in line with French and European development assistance policies.

The agency’s activity thereby remains strongly focused on Africa to which it devotes 65% of its total business volume.

 

Expertise France in figures (for 2022)

625 employees at headquarters 1,000 operators in the field, including 441 experts  220 International Technical Experts (ITE) deployed in the field, an increase of 60% compared to 2021 (137 in 2021)  100,000 person-days of expertise mobilised 380 projects ongoing in 145 countries 175 new projects €341 M of business volume with a breakeven result of €1.5 M €383 M of financing signed for a total amount of €455.8 M (including 63% for Africa)

 

Focus on AFD Group’s results

2022 marked the first steps of an expanded Group with a comprehensive, complementary and unrivalled range of services.

In this respect, the volume of new projects signed by AFD Group stood at €12 billion for a total of 1,100 financing agreements signed. The Group draws on the diverse expertise of more than 3,600 officers working on the financing and implementation of 4,200 projects.

In line with the direction of AFD Group’s action, 62% of the projects signed during the year contribute to the fight against gender inequality, and more than €6 billion of financing was committed for the climate, representing about 80% of France’s contribution to the UNFCCC climate finance target.

AFD, Expertise France and Proparco have merged their commitments for the SDGs within a Group which, from a social perspective and in terms of reducing inequality, has provided 64 million people with access to an improved health system, and allowed 4.2 million women to benefit from better social protection. For biodiversity and the climate, 1.2 million hectares of marine areas and 35 million hectares of forest areas have benefited from a contribution to the restoration of ecosystems, while the production and release of 10.1 million tonnes of CO2 have been avoided by strengthening the circular economy and raising awareness of sustainable energies.

 

A dedicated website for 2022-2023 Results and Outlook

 

 

About Expertise France

Expertise France is France’s public agency and interministerial actor in charge of international technical cooperation, the second-largest in Europe. As a subsidiary of Agence Française de Développement Group (AFD Group), it designs and implements projects that sustainably strengthen public policies in developing and emerging countries. Expertise France works in key areas of development: governance, security, climate change, health, education, and more. Alongside its partners, it contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Know-how in common. For more information: www.expertisefrance.fr

Press Contact

presse@expertisefrance.fr / Yasmina Abbad (06 46 36 45 70)