Association internationale des Régions francophones (AIRF)

What Association internationale des Régions francophones (AIRF) does

Association internationale des Régions francophones (AIRF) is a French non-profit association (loi 1901), founded in 2002 and headquartered in Lyon, that aggregates French-speaking regional and territorial authorities across five continents, representing a constituency of approximately 300 million French speakers. Its core mission is to facilitate cooperation, peer exchange, and capacity-building among its 100+ member territorial authorities, with a permanent secretariat of 14 employees led by President Laurent Wauquiez and a director of publication identified as Ivan Dedessus-Le-Moustier.

AIRF's product surface is organized around multi-year cooperation programs (T2EF 2025-2027 with ADEME on ecological transition; Terr'ESS 2024-2026 on the social and solidarity economy; COOP'R 2023-2025; EICPAD and EICPAD-II with CEREMA, CIEDEL, and DAECT; SAHEL/ERD 2020-2021 with 40+ participating authorities), recurring economic events (Rencontres économiques, with 102+ authorities participating in 2021), thematic working groups (Communication 2022, Gender Equality 2025), a Service d'Appui aux Projets for technical accompaniment, online seminars (including a 60-day climate finance program), and a pilot Prix AIRF "Jeunes femmes inspirantes" award launched in 2026. Technology is light: a website portal hosted by Orange Business Services, WhatsApp working-group communities, and standard online seminar infrastructure.

The business model is non-profit and project-driven. Revenue is principally generated through French public co-financing — DAECT/MEAE acting as the principal co-financier and typically covering ~50% of project costs, with AFD and ADEME as secondary funders — supplemented by membership dues from territorial authorities and contributions from partners such as OIF. Delivery relies on a hub-and-spoke structure: the Lyon secretariat coordinates programs, while national relay associations (ANCB, ARDCI, ARM, ARBF, ARENI, ADS, ARM Mali) provide in-country reach. Geographic coverage spans West Africa, East Africa, North Africa, the Indian Ocean, and Europe, with the 2026 General Assembly scheduled in Abidjan signaling a westward center of gravity.

Name

Association internationale des Régions francophones (AIRF)

Legal name

Association internationale des Régions francophones

Website

https://regions-francophones.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Association internationale des Régions francophones (AIRF) is a Lyon-based non-profit, founded in 2002, that aggregates 100+ francophone regional and territorial authorities across five continents, delivering cooperation programs, technical training, working groups, and economic events to support sustainable development, climate adaptation, and gender equality among its members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intergovernmental Cooperation Services

NAICS

International Affairs (928120), International Affairs (92812)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Foreign Governments (8888)

akta.pro primary industry

Multilateral Diplomacy & International Representation (UN, Regional Bodies) (BPAIAIAC)

Keywords

• Regional cooperation networks
• Territorial development programs
• Intergovernmental association services
• Francophone public policy support
• Capacity building training

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: AIRF is funded primarily through annual membership fees paid by regional and territorial authorities across the francophone world. Membership subscriptions from regional councils and associations of local authorities constitute the core operational funding.
2. Cooperation project funding (cofinancement): A substantial portion of AIRF's revenue comes from co-financed international cooperation projects funded by institutional donors (MEAE/DAECT, AFD, ADEME). Project budgets include staffing and operational costs. Example: the 'Accompagnement post-EICPAD' programme cost €22,400, comprising €15,000 in CIEDEL/CEREMA expertise and €7,400 in AIRF mobilisation, funded from member dues and donor subsidies.
3. Project support and advisory services: The Service d'Appui aux Projets (project support service) provides fee-based technical assistance to member territories for project formulation, funding applications, and implementation. This generates service revenue alongside cooperation projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AIRF is an international non-profit association that brings together francophone regional and territorial authorities across 5 continents. Its core activity is to stimulate the development of francophone territories by establishing collaborations, experience exchanges, economic relations, and educational/cultural partnerships between regional and territorial collectivities through cooperation projects, working groups, economic meetings, and training seminars.

Product overview

AIRF operates as a network organization offering a portfolio of cooperation programs and support services for francophone territorial authorities. The core offerings include six major cooperation programs (T2EF, Terr'ESS, COOP'R, EICPAD-II, EICPAD, SAHEL/ERD) focused on ecological transition, social economy, territorial planning, and rural electrification. Complementing these are support services (Service d'Appui aux Projets), economic events (Rencontres économiques), training programs (online climate finance seminar), and two working groups (Communication, Égalité Femmes-Hommes) plus an award program for young women. The organization connects over 300 million Francophones across 5 continents through inter-regional cooperation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Programme Transition écologique dans l'Espace francophone (T2EF) A cooperation program (2025-2027) dedicated to strengthening capacities in ecological transition within the francophone space, with financial support from ADEME.
• Projet Terr'ESS A cooperation program running from 2024 to 2026 focused on social and solidarity economy in francophone territories.
• Projet COOP'R A cooperation program (2023-2025) supporting decentralized cooperation among francophone regional authorities.
• Projet EICPAD-II Second phase (2023-2024) of the Expertise, Engineering and Skills project for sustainable development policies in francophone territories.
• Projet EICPAD Expertise, Engineering and Skills project (2021-2022) supporting sustainable development policies and territorial planning in francophone regions, implemented with CEREMA and CIEDEL.
• Projet SAHEL / ERD Project (2020-2021) for francophone Sahelian territorial authorities as actors in decentralized rural electrification policies, implemented with FONDEM and INES.
• Service d'Appui aux Projets Project support service assisting member territorial authorities with project development, formulation, and financing search.
• Rencontres économiques francophones Annual economic meetings bringing together francophone territorial authorities, enterprises, and international organizations to discuss economic cooperation themes.
• Séminaire en ligne sur les financements climatiques Online 60-day seminar providing training on understanding and accessing climate financing mechanisms for francophone territorial authorities, part of the T2EF program.
• Groupe de travail Communication Working group bringing together communication officers of member territorial authorities to strengthen communication capacities through exchanges, training, and collaborative tools.
• Groupe de travail Égalité Femmes-Hommes Working group to promote gender equality among francophone territorial authorities through experience sharing, best practice dissemination, and joint actions.
• Prix AIRF 'Jeunes femmes inspirantes en territoires francophones' Award program recognizing young women whose initiatives contribute to economic, educational, social, scientific, or environmental development in francophone territories, with a pilot edition in 2026.

Quantifiable outcome

• 615 participants from 102 territorial authorities connected at the Rencontre économique francophone of 8 April 2021, generating 81 business meeting requests, 143 connection requests, and 391 discussions on the e-exhibitor platform.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OIF (Organisation internationale de la Francophonie)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026OIF is a key institutional partner for AIRF's gender equality initiatives. OIF co-sponsored the Prix AIRF 'Jeunes femmes inspirantes' pilot edition in Abidjan (June 2026) alongside the OFQJ and Région Île-de-France, and OIF's representative (the Secretary General of the Francophonie) attended the award ceremony.
• OFQJ (Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026OFQJ partnered with AIRF for the pilot edition of the Prix AIRF 'Jeunes femmes inspirantes' (Abidjan, 2026), contributing to the programme alongside OIF and Région Île-de-France. The award included an immersion mission component for laureates.
• Cluster MontagneminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Cluster Montagne co-organises the Premières Rencontres franco-marocaines de la montagne with AIRF, Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and NGO Tetraktys. The event will take place on 15 September 2026 at the Hôtel de Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in Lyon.
• ONG TetraktysminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026ONG Tetraktys is a co-organiser of the Premières Rencontres franco-marocaines de la montagne (September 2026) alongside AIRF, Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and Cluster Montagne. Tetraktys contributes expertise on sustainable mountain development.
• ANCB (Association nationale des Communes du Bénin)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025ANCB is the primary national association of local authorities in Benin and serves as AIRF's key in-country implementation and logistics partner for the EICPAD and EICPAD-II projects. ANCB proposed the creation of the AIRF Gender Equality working group.
• Université EPITECH BéninminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Université EPITECH Benin partnered with AIRF in 2024 to deliver a collaborative hackathon that created websites for four Beninese territorial authorities (ACAL, GIC, GI-MONO, CCP). This partnership demonstrates AIRF's digital transformation support for member territories.
• CIEDEL (Centre international d'Etudes pour le Développement local)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021CIEDEL is a core technical partner in AIRF's EICPAD and EICPAD-II projects (2021–2024), providing expertise in sustainable territorial development, local governance, and climate adaptation. CIEDEL co-facilitated technical regroupements and thematic webinars and continues to provide post-project technical accompaniment.
• CEREMA (Centre d'Etudes et d'Expertise sur les Risques, l'Environnement, la Mobilité et l'Aménagement)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021CEREMA is AIRF's primary technical partner for sustainable development, climate adaptation, and territorial planning. It co-designed the EICPAD training programme, facilitated technical regroupements across Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco, and France, and continues to provide post-EICPAD technical accompaniment to 5 pilot territorial authorities.
• ARDCI (Assemblées des Régions et Districts de Côte d'Ivoire)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021ARDCI is the national association of regions and districts in Côte d'Ivoire and is a key logistics and coordination partner for AIRF's EICPAD project. ARDCI participated in EICPAD regroupements and contributed to the project's national dissemination.
• ARM (Association des Régions du Maroc)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021ARM is the national association of regions in Morocco and coordinates the participation of Moroccan regional councils in AIRF projects, including the EICPAD project (8 Moroccan regions) and EICPAD-II. ARM participates in national dissemination of project results.
• FONDEM (Fondation Energies pour le Monde)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020FONDEM is a key technical partner in the SAHEL/ERD project (2020–2021), providing expertise on rural decentralised electrification. FONDEM co-designed training modules and participated in technical regroupements in Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Mali alongside INES and the AIRF.
• INES (Institut national de l'Energie solaire)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020INES (Le Mans, France) partnered with AIRF on the SAHEL/ERD project to deliver technical training on solar energy and decentralised electrification to Sahelian territorial authorities. INES contributed to regroupements in Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Mali.
• ARBF (Association des Régions du Burkina Faso)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2020ARBF is the national association of regions in Burkina Faso and is a logistics partner for the SAHEL/ERD project, coordinating the participation of 6 Burkinabé regional councils. ARBF co-organised the Ouagadougou technical regroupement.
• ARENI (Association des Régions du Niger)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2020ARENI coordinates Niger's participation in the SAHEL/ERD project, bringing together 7 Nigerien regional councils and Niamey municipality. Following the project's closure, AIRF established a post-project partnership with ARENI and ANERSOL for solar energy feasibility studies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG): Global network of local and regional governments representing hundreds of thousands of cities and associations. Directly comparable as a multilateral platform aggregating sub-national authorities for international cooperation, but at much larger scale and with broader geographic reach than AIRF's francophone focus.
• Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF): Intergovernmental organisation of francophone states that already co-sponsors AIRF initiatives. Operates in the same francophone institutional ecosystem and shares thematic overlap on gender equality and youth, but at the sovereign-state level rather than the regional-authority level AIRF occupies.
• ICLEI — Local Governments for Sustainability: Global network of local and regional governments working on sustainability. Comparable to AIRF in targeting sub-national governments for capacity-building programmes on sustainable development, but with a global (non-francophone-restricted) scope and a larger institutional footprint.

Direct peers

• Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR): European federation of national associations of local and regional governments. Operates a directly comparable model — aggregating regional authorities for cross-border cooperation, capacity building, and policy advocacy — overlapping significantly with AIRF's regional-cooperation mandate at European level.
• Assembly of European Regions (AER): Independent network of European regions focused on inter-regional cooperation, policy advocacy, and capacity building. Closely comparable to AIRF in serving regional councils as members and convening them for cooperation projects, but with a Europe-only geographic scope.
• Regions4 Sustainable Development: Global network of regional governments committed to sustainable development and biodiversity, including francophone regions. Directly comparable as a peer-driven platform delivering capacity building and policy advocacy to regional authorities on sustainable development — the same thematic niche as AIRF's T2EF and EICPAD programmes.
• nrg4SD (Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development): Network of regional governments focused on sustainable-development policy advocacy in international fora. Comparable to AIRF in mobilising regional authorities around climate and sustainability themes and in providing technical accompaniment to member regions.
• R20 — Regions of Climate Action: International coalition of sub-national governments focused on climate action and project financing. Operates a similar model of aggregating regional authorities to access climate finance and implement low-carbon projects — directly comparable to AIRF's climate-finance seminar and T2EF programme.

Regional players

• Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF): Commonwealth-wide local-government association supporting member states' local-authority associations. Mirrors AIRF's model of aggregating national associations of local authorities as in-country partners, but operates in Commonwealth rather than francophone geographies.

Emerging players

• Under2 Coalition: Global coalition of sub-national governments committed to deep decarbonisation. Comparable to AIRF as a network aggregating regional authorities on climate action, with partial thematic overlap on AIRF's climate-transition and financing work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association internationale des Régions francophones (AIRF)