The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) was established on February 9, 1991.  The establishment was the outcome of a partnership between African governments and the international donor community. The major sponsors of the Foundation are African governments, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank.  The three institutions constitute the Foundation’s sponsoring agencies. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) joined the Foundation in September 2002.

African governments, donor countries and organizations that contribute to the Foundation’s trust fund are members and constitute a segment of the larger community of the Foundation’s stakeholders. The current membership comprises the three sponsoring agencies (the African Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank), the IMF as well as 42 African countries and non-African countries and institutions, namely, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Finland, France, Gabon, Ghana, India, Ireland, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Sweden, Tanzania,