African Development Bank has been an accelerator of Africa’s development for the past 10 years, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, outgoing president of the bank, said on Wednesday

Adesina said the five highs of the bank – to light up and power Africa, feed Africa, industrialise Africa, integrate Africa and improve the quality of life of the people of Africa – have been transformational for Africa.

Giving a key address during the Formal Opening Ceremony 2025 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group today in Abidjan, Adesina said that in the past decade the work of the African Development Bank has impacted the lives of 565 million people on continent.

This includes 28 million people with access to electricity, 104 million people with food security, 121 million people with access to improved transport, 128 million people with access to improved health services, 67 million with improved access to information and communication technology, 63 million people with access to drinking water and 34 million people with access to sanitation, he added.

The bank, he said, has accelerated regional integration with massive support for infrastructure to support the African continental free trade area.

“Over the ten-year period under my presidency the African Development would have provided a total of USD 102 billion in support to Africa. This represents 46 per cent of all the financing of the bank since its establishment in 1964”, he explained.

The president further said that the Development Bank further financed over $55 billion in support of infrastructure, including roads, rails, airports, seaports, digital and communications, health and water and sanitation.

Adesina cited projects pertaining to the countries and named the banks supporting Kenya in the Last Mile Connectivity Project, which has helped to increase the number of Kenyans connected to the national electricity grid from 2.42 million households in 2014 to 9.7 million households in 2024.

This helped the country increase electricity access from 36 per cent to 76 per cent over the same period while at the same time supporting the Lake Turkana wind project in Kenya, which is the largest operational wind power mill in Africa.

He appreciated President William Ruto saying he conferred him with Kenya’s Highest National Honour, Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart, which is a great recognition of the work of the African Development Bank. “I am proud of the journey we started together 10 years ago; I can see its fruits. Kenyans can feel its benefits,” he said

The president mentioned the Covid-19 crisis that saw Africa struggle in the most challenging global crises with no vaccines, no medicines, no oxygen, no masks, and no gloves.

“As developed countries got second and third Covid-19 vaccine booster shots, Africa was scrambling for just one shot for its population,” he said.

Because of this, Adesina said that AfDB swung into bold action and launched a $3 billion social bond, the largest ever in world history at the time, to support Africa and also set up a Crisis Response Facility for up to $10 billion for counter-cyclical support for countries.

“Today, the African Development Bank Group is implementing a $3 billion programme for quality health infrastructure and a $3 billion programme for the development of local pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity in Africa”, he noted.

Adesina said this culminated with the creation of a new institution, the African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation, to enable Africa to gain access to intellectual property rights and to protected technologies and processes for manufacturing medicines and vaccines.

On matters of agriculture and in the process of increasing Africa’s capacity to feed itself, the president said that in ten years, AfDB work allowed 104 million Africans to achieve food security and provided 13 million farmers with access to improved agricultural technologies.

“The impact of our work in supporting Africa to avoid a looming food crisis predicted when the war in Russia and Ukraine broke out. The news headlines were awash with predictions of a food crisis in Africa, as the continent would lose 30 million tonnes of food (wheat, maize and oilseeds) imported from Russia and Ukraine,” he said.

“When the war broke out, the news headlines were awash with predictions of a food crisis in Africa, as the continent would lose 30 million tonnes of food, namely wheat, maize and oilseeds imported from Russia and Ukraine. The African Development Bank swung into action with its $1.5 billion emergency food production facility,” Adesina explained.

The Feed Africa plan worked, the president said, noting that in just two years, AfDB support had allowed 14 million farmers in 30 countries to have access to improved seeds and fertilisers. They produced 44 million tonnes of food, which is 116 per cent above the target that is worth $17.3 billion.

President Adesina noted that as his mandate as President of the Bank draws to a close, he is extremely proud of the work they have done and the incredible impact the Bank has had on the daily lives of millions of Africans.

“This has been a collaborative effort that we can all take great pride I thank all African Heads of state and Government, for your incredible support and confidence. As I have always said, being President of the African Development Bank for me is not a job; it is a mission. Nothing can be greater than to be given the responsibility, resources, mandate, support and the platform to help transform Africa, the continent of my birth,” Adesina said

Akinwumi Adesina will be stepping down in September after second five-year term at the helm of the African Development Bank (AfDB) but the elections of the new president will be held during this year’s annual general meeting.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By  Wangari Ndirangu

Mr Hott Amadou from Senegal, Dr Maimbo Samuel Munzele, Zambia, Dr Tah Sidi Ould, Mauritania, Mr Tolli Abbas Mahamat, Chad and Ms Tshabalala Bajabulile Swazi from South Africa have fronted their candidature and whoever wins will remain president elect and be sworn in on the first of September this year

The 2025 Annual Meeting is running throughout this week in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Running under the year’s theme: “Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development”.

Dr Akinwunmi Adesina President and Chairman of the Boards of Directors African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, gave his key address today at the 2025 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group in Abidjan