Foreword — Enabel Activity Report 2025–2026 

Jean Van Wetter, CEO

Delphine Moralis, President of the Board

Over the past years, international cooperation has been undergoing a profound transformation. Geopolitical tensions, climate urgency, demographic shifts and increasing pressure on multilateralism have reshaped the global landscape. In this context of complexity and accelerating transitions, Enabel has continued to evolve, not by adjusting at the margins, but by truly rethinking what international cooperation must mean today.

This evolution is anchored in a simple conviction: global challenges require global solutions, and these can only emerge from genuine partnership. The era of ‘aid’ as a one-directional transfer from so‑called developed to developing countries no longer reflects the world we live in. Today, inequalities, fragility, technological disruptions and climate risks transcend borders. At the same time, economic dynamism, innovation and demographic momentum are increasingly found outside Europe. The future will be shaped by interdependence, and by the alliances we build to navigate it.

Enabel’s narrative is therefore deliberately different. We see international cooperation not as charity, but as strategy; not as crisis response, but as long‑term investment; not as donor‑recipient relations, but as co‑creation among equals. This shift has guided our transformation into a partnership-driven public company that operates at the crossroads of diplomacy, expertise, investment and local anchoring.

A central element of this narrative is credibility. Enabel’s strength lies in its profound presence on the ground: more than 2,000 of our colleagues work in partner countries, ensuring that solutions are co‑constructed with national institutions, private actors and civil society. This local anchorage makes us more than a funding channel. It makes us a connector between Belgian and European expertise, between public purpose and private capital, and between the realities of partner countries and the strategic priorities of Europe.

This approach has also positioned Enabel as a key European actor. With EU funding now accounting for a significant share of our portfolio, Enabel has become an operational instrument within the EU’s Global Gateway strategy. In practice, this means helping structure strategic corridors, preparing bankable projects, reducing risk, and enabling private investment to flow where it is most needed. Public resources alone will never be sufficient to meet global development and climate challenges. But public resources – when used intelligently – can leverage private capital, shift perceptions of risk, and catalyse long-term economic opportunities. This is where Enabel contributes to Europe’s strategic ambitions: by building concrete, investable solutions with partners on the ground.

The same vision guides our work in climate justice and digital transformation. Climate finance too often benefits countries with higher visibility and stronger technical capacities, while the most climate‑vulnerable risk being left behind. Enabel’s role is to ensure these countries can access the mechanisms designed to support them, structuring climate strategies, strengthening institutions, and helping them take part in global negotiations on equal footing.

In digitalisation, we work to ensure that technological progress reinforces sovereignty rather than dependency. By supporting regulatory frameworks, data governance, innovation ecosystems and the EU–AU Digital for Development Hub, Enabel helps create an environment where African and European actors can jointly shape a fair and inclusive digital future.

For Belgium, Enabel’s role has never been more strategic. In a world in which diplomacy increasingly requires operational capacity, connections between institutions, and the ability to deliver credible solutions on the ground, Enabel is a unique asset. Few countries combine a diplomatic tradition with a public company capable of implementing complex programmes, convening diverse partners and strengthening long-term alliances. Enabel brings Belgium’s name, expertise and values into places where cooperation truly matters; from climate negotiations to digital governance, from economic corridors to fragile regions.

Looking ahead, the challenge is clear: rebuilding political and public confidence in the importance of international cooperation. In times of budgetary pressure and competing priorities, we must reaffirm that cooperation is not a cost but an investment, in stability, in resilience, and in shared prosperity. Europe’s reindustrialisation and Africa’s industrialisation, for instance, are not parallel agendas. They are interconnected strategies for a more sustainable and secure future.

The stories in this report illustrate what Enabel stands for: partnerships that blend credibility with innovation, expertise with humility, and long‑term vision with immediate impact. They show how seeds planted years ago – a pilot project, technical support, early-stage financing – can grow into mature ecosystems, new industries or thriving enterprises.

As the world continues to change, Enabel will continue to enable Belgium, Europe and our partners to shape the transitions that define our common future.

In conclusion, I would like to express my deep gratitude to all of our colleagues. Day after day, they give their all to make Enabel a solid, reliable and human-centred organisation. Our partners in Belgium and around the world also deserve our sincere thanks. Their expertise and commitment strengthen our actions and make our impact possible.

More than ever, we are supporting our staff and partners in the Middle East. In a region that has been subject to extreme tensions for so long, they have shown impressive resilience and remain committed to helping people living under unprecedented pressure. Their courage commands respect and reminds us of the very essence of our work.