Friday, March 29, 2024

Hundreds converge in Lusaka for AfDB annual meetings

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African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesine inspecting the venue of the Conference at Mulungushi Conference Center
African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesine inspecting the venue of the Conference at Mulungushi Conference Center

Hundreds of participants have converged on Lusaka for the 51st Annual Meetings of the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the 42nd Meetings of the African Development Fund (ADB) Board of Governors, which takes place in the Zambian Capital from May 23 to 27, 2016.

President Edgar Lungu will formally open the meetings on Tuesday along with his peers from several African countries, Governors of the Bank Group and its 8th elected President, Akinwumi Adesina.

Presidents Idriss Deby of Chad, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya have confirmed their attendance.
Nigeria will be represented by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, while Tanzania and Mozambique will be represented by their Prime Ministers – Kassim Majaliwa and Carlos Agostinho do Rosário – respectively.

Other high-profile attendees include Akon, Kofi Annan, Aliko Dangote, Ashish Thakkar, John Kufuor, Mary Robinson, Mo Ibrahim, Nancy Lee, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Tony Elumelu, among others.

The AfDB Group will unveil its new agenda for the continent’s economic transformation – The New Deal on Energy for Africa 2016-2025, the Strategy for Jobs for Youth in Africa 2016-2025, and plan for Africa’s Agricultural transformation.

However, energy, considered to be the continent’s Achilles’ heel and the central theme of the Annual Meetings –‘Energy and Climate Change’ will be the topmost priority. It underscores the Bank’s determination to tackle the severe energy deficit in the continent where 650 million people don’t have access to electricity.

These high-level engagements will be preceded by the launch of the African Economic Outlook, an in-depth discussion of the state of African economies in 2016.

Governors, usually Finance or Economy Ministers, representing the 54 African and 26 non-Africa member countries of the Bank Group will review its 2015 operations report and approve its activities and budget for the coming year. In 2015, the Bank Group made loans and grants of USD 8.8 billion, a 25% increase on 2014.

President Adesina is among over 2,700 participants who have arrived in Lusaka for the Bank’s week-long flagship annual event. These include ministers and other top public and private sector officials, representatives of development agencies and international organisations, diplomats, civil society representatives and the media.

African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesine inspecting the venue of the Conference at Mulungushi Conference Center
African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesine inspecting the venue of the Conference at Mulungushi Conference Center
Victor Mensah Event Project Manager and African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesine inspecting the venue of the Conference at Mulungushi Conference Center
Victor Mensah Event Project Manager and African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesine inspecting the venue of the Conference at Mulungushi Conference Center
African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesine inspecting the venue of the Conference at Mulungushi Conference Center
African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesine inspecting the venue of the Conference at Mulungushi Conference Center
Victor Mensah Event Project Manager welcomes Finance Minister Alexndre Chikwanda who was inspecting the venue of the Conference at Mulungushi Conference Center
Victor Mensah Event Project Manager welcomes Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda who was inspecting the venue of the Conference at Mulungushi Conference Center
Victor Mensah Event Project Manager and Finance Minister Alexndre Chikwanda inspecting the venue of the Conference at Mulungushi Conference Center
Victor Mensah Event Project Manager and Finance Minister Alexndre Chikwanda inspecting the venue of the Conference at Mulungushi Conference Center
Victor Mensah Event Project Manager and Finance Minister Alexndre Chikwanda inspecting the venue of the Conference at Mulungushi Conference Center
Victor Mensah Event Project Manager and Finance Minister Alexndre Chikwanda inspecting the venue of the Conference at Mulungushi Conference Center

6 COMMENTS

  1. Where Great Africans Meet there is no way am missing this one am gate crushing since its just in my back yard lol…looking foward to hear great discussion

  2. Why is Zambia politicising the AfDB/ADF Annual Meetings? These are meetings for Board of Directors who are Ministers of Finance and Governors of Central Banks. Heads of states have nothing to do with these financial and economic matters. I see the illegal Finance Minister of Finance,Alex Chikwanda is presiding. Citizens should just arrest him and dispose him of the govt car. ECL and his PF Ministers have no shame and intergrity.

  3. This annual meeting should be used to school the opposition political parties, NGOCC, Gen. Miyanda & others who are still contending that ministers were long dissolved together with Parliament & can’t understand whay Article 116 3 was included in the law & still doing in the new constitution? “(e) another person assumes the office of President?” Honestly, do you expect world leaders to come for such functions & find Finance Minister Hon. Alexander Chikwanda already dissolved with Parliament & fellow cabinet ministers. May be church ministers? The PF also should learn to explain issues properly, not telling the nation that the cabinet is waiting to handover to new cabinet when self-explanatory functions & duties have long been lined up. They are just busy responding to individual…

    • They are just busy responding to individual opposition & other opponents instead of educating the nation properly. If those who are aspiring for high political offices in the country can hold & promote such views & can’t see bigger picture of ministers stay, then Zambia is in trouble for sure.

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