AfDB Election: Adesina Takes Second Oath Of Office Tuesday, September 1st
Daily Metro News NG
The just re-elected President of the African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, will be sworn-in on Tuesday, September 1, to serve another five-year term.
According to the AfDB in a statement made available on Monday said, the ceremony will be held virtually at 9am.
Dr Adesina, Nigeria’s former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, was the first Nigerian to be elected and re-elected to serve as the bank’s President following his victory last week after getting a hundred percent votes having contested unopposed.
The election which took place virtually at the bakn’s 2020 Annual Meetings of the multilateral bank, the Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the Bank, Mrs. Niale Kaba, Minister of National Planning of Côte d’Ivoire announced Adesina’s victory.
Also according to a report on Channels television, Dr Adesina’s first term in office focused on new agenda for the Bank Group based on five development priorities known as the High 5s: Light up and Power Africa; Feed Africa; Industrialize Africa; Integrate Africa; and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.
During his initial 5-year term, the bank was able to impact the lives of 335 million Africans, including 18 million people with access to electricity; 141 million people benefiting from improved agricultural technologies for food security; 15 million people benefiting from access to finance from private investments; 101 million people provided with access to improved transport; and 60 million people gaining access to water and sanitation.
After the announcement Adesina last week, he said, “I am deeply grateful for the collective trust, strong confidence and support of our shareholders for electing me for a second term as President. It is yet another call for selfless service to Africa and the African Development Bank, to which I will passionately devote myself.”
Dr Adesina had faced moral challenge of favouritism, corruption, and other allegations after which an independent Review Panel had cleared him of all ethical wrongdoings.
The Independent Panel which was chaired by Mary Robinson, former President of the Republic of Ireland, was set up by the Bureau of Governors of the Bank, following a petition by the United States, to review the process by which two previous organs of the Bank – the Ethics Committee of the Board, and the Bureau of the Board of Governors – had previously exonerated Dr. Adesina.
We say congratulations to Dr. akinwunmi Adesina.