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African Development Bank Country Director for Zambia Dr. Freddie Kwesiga has died

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FILE: Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande receives credentials from new Africa Development Bank Country Representative Freddie Kwesiga at Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lusaka recently
FILE: Former Foreign Affairs Minister Kabinga Pande with  Africa Development Bank Country Representative Freddie Kwesiga at Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lusaka 

African Development Bank Country Director for Zambia Dr. Freddie Kwesiga has died.

Dr Kwesiga who has been in Zambia for many years died in a Nairobi Hospital after a surgery to remove kidney stones.

Dr Kwesiga will be remembered for many ADB projects he pushed for Zambia.

He was recently working on the development of Mpulungu Harbour and Railway line to join TAZARA to Mpulungu.

Rwanda and Burundi have invested massively in their harbours but Zambia is yet to upgrade its Mpulungu harbour to make trade in the Great Lakes meaningful.

The ADB has also financed huge water and sanitation projects by giving financing and loans to water companies.

The ADB have also been instrumental in developing the Nacala Corridor with the developments of roads and rail linking Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania to the port of Nacala

Dr Kwesiga is a Rwandese national.

Meanwhile, Minister of Finance has released the statement below

COMMISERATION ON THE PASSING OF Dr. FREDDIE KWESIGA – AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK [AfDB] RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE TO ZAMBIA

Monday, 2nd February, 2015. The Ministry of Finance wishes to express its deepest sorrow on the passing of Dr. Freddie Kwesiga, who was the African Development Bank’s Resident Representative to Zambia, after what we learnt was a very short illness in Nairobi where he had travelled for medical treatment.

During the six years of service in Zambia, Dr. Kwesiga has been instrumental in leading the Bank’s contribution to supporting the Government’s development agenda which extensively covered support to agriculture, infrastructure, energy and other poverty reducing initiatives.

Dr. Kwesiga made it his personal ambition to contribute to the transformation of lives, especially for the poor and marginalized, through the African Development Bank by supporting and facilitating processes that empower them with resources, knowledge, skills, voice and confidence. He has also been instrumental in mitigating the negative effects of poverty, food and fuel insecurity caused by environmental degradation through projects such as the climate resilience project in the river basins of Western Province and in Itezhi-Tezhi in Central Province.

It is during Dr. Kwesiga’s tour of duty that Zambia was reclassified as a blend country being able to borrow both African Development Fund (concessional) and African Development Bank (non-concessional) resources. This has increased the Bank’s resource availability to Zambia.

We have as a Ministry enjoyed a very warm working relationship with Dr. Kwesiga. We found him to be a very dedicated, practical and frank person. The Government of Zambia will miss his services and commitment to the African Development Bank and through the Bank, his contributions to the welfare of the People of Zambia.

May I, on behalf of the people and Government of Zambia, extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, and the President and staff of the Bank on the loss of this gallant and diligent citizen of Africa. He was indeed a rare breed.

Alexander B. Chikwanda, MP
Governor of The AfDB Board &
MINISTER OF FINANCE

19 COMMENTS

    • @Nostrademus…… Just for your information, the AfDB Board of Governors is made up of (mostly) the Ministers of Finance of each member country. It is not about ba Chikwanda. It is his post. There are about 77 Governors forming the Board of the AfDB.

  1. I personally knew Dr. Freddie Kwesiga. I worked with him in Chipata where he was heading a Regional Agro Forestry Project (ICRAF) which as based at Msekera Research station. For those that have been to Chipata, Dr Kwesiga once stayed at Plot 1153 (currently housing GBV)- just after Saturday Market on Kalindawaro Road.

    Dr Kwesiga will be remembered for his ood style of management. He also worked with Arnold Mbandu, the father to the ate Ruth Mbandu at the same project in Chipata.

  2. Dr. Freddie Kwesiga was so passionate about the improvement of lives through infrastructure development. Africa needs such men who choose to serve unselflessly for the social economic development of the continent. This man will be greatly missed by all those who share his vision of a new iconic Africa. MHSRIP

  3. This is sad news. Our hearts go out to his dear wife, children and family. He was such a good professional to work with. He was so passionate about the development of Africa. We will miss him.

  4. “Rwanda and Burundi have invested massively in their harbours but Zambia is yet to upgrade its Mpulungu harbour to make trade in the Great Lakes meaningful.”

    ZAMBIA NEEDS PROPER AND MODERN HARBOURS ON ALL THE LAKES. IT’S SAD THAT ZAMBIA WITH MASSIVE LAKES HASN’T GOT HARBOURS ON THESE LAKE. NOW, HOW DO YOU PROMOTE TRADE AND TOURISM? BUSHE AMA MINISTERS BESU BONSE UMO BENDA MU FYALO NINSHI BAMONA TO BRING BACK HOME. ARE THEY THAT BLIND? I HAVE BEEN TO MPULUNGU- EVEN THE SS LIEMBA IS LAUGHABLE. SAMFYA WITH ITS BEAUTIFUL BEACHES IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE PROPER HARBOUR ON ALL THE ISLANDS AND SHORE. THESE THING HURT TO THINK THAT OUR MINISTERS ARE SO STUPID THEY CAN’T SPEARHEAD SUCH DEVELOPMENTS.

  5. A kidney stone op is generally a minor op with most patients discharged within 1-3 days of the op. Somebody botched the op up and should account for this needless loss. These are the kind of technocrats Africa needs in abundance. Never knew him but feel sad for the loss.

  6. LT, Freddie was a Ugandan not Rwandese. You may be confused by the language found in both countries. Freddie was a very hard working fine gentleman with a big passion for African development. He worked in Zambia for a long time long before he joined the AfDB (from FARA in Accra). He will be greatly missed by many. MHSRIP.

  7. May His Soul Rest in Peace.
    I met him for the first time in the 90s when he worked for ICRAF.Very dedicated man. That’s a minor operation. UTH would have done it! We just need to restore confidence in our local medical care.

  8. I don’t know why pharmacy is so proud that it plays blind to very simple remedies just because they are not in the book. Kidney stone and gall stone are easily and surely removable by simple therapy of very common herbs. surgery has no part in health. it is unnatural. it is only acceptable when a foreign object finds itself lodged by traumatic means in somebody’s person.

  9. Freddie was a Ugandan not Rwandese. Son of late Rutahweire and came from Ntungamo district. His burrial will be on Saturday 7th February 2015. Meanwhile, a memorial service is being arranged in Kampala at All saiints cathedral on Friday the 6th February. Those in and around Kampala can go to his brothers place (Ivan) for a vigil tonight 5th Feb, in Bunga (if am not mistaken).
    May his soul rest in peace.

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