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Written question asked by James McMurdock (Independent (affiliation)) on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 October 2026. It was answered by Kirsty McNeill (Labour) on Monday, 12 October 2026 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Africa: Financial Markets

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's annual review of the FSDA - Financial Sector Deepening Africa Platform, reviewed on 17 October 2025, what assessment has been made of the value for money of the use of official development assistance to provide investment capital to companies, funds and financial intermediaries.

Answer

The annual review concluded that Financial Sector Deepening Africa Platform (FSDA) continued to represent good value for money as a use of Official Development Assistance, including through FSDA Investments. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) assessed this investment model as offering value for money because of its role in addressing market failures and mobilising additional finance that would not otherwise be available on the same basis.

The programme received an A+ output score. Effectiveness was assessed as adequate: results were well-linked to the theory of change, with strong delivery against planned activities and outputs, although some outcomes were taking longer than expected to materialise.

The finding that around one third of assessed interventions delivered outputs within the available resources and timeframe was one element of the programme's efficiency assessment, not its overall value-for-money judgement. The proportion of interventions that were significantly under- or over-budget, or delivered less than half of agreed targets, fell from 32 per cent to 17 per cent. The FCDO uses these findings to strengthen programme oversight.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
30179
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Cost effectiveness Development aid Africa Financial markets
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk