African Development Bank and its partners will lead Africa’s recovery and development after the Coronavirus Disease, with a focus on youth, women and healthcare.
The President of AfDB, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, stated this at a virtual event held in his honour as African Leadership Magazine’s outgoing African of the Year.
Present at the event were Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, and Benoy Berry, Chairman of Contec Global Worldwide.
“Together, we will create new opportunities for African youth and trigger a youth-based wealth system for Africa. Together, we will ensure that we deliver financing for African women.
“Together, we will support Africa to build world-class, quality healthcare infrastructure, while ensuring also that the continent builds its pharmaceutical and vaccine industrial production,” Adesina stated.
He pointed out that while developed countries had been spending trillions of dollars for fiscal stimulus, Africa did not have such resources.
“To recover faster, Africa will need significant debt forgiveness from bilateral and official creditors,” he added.
Chairman of African Leadership Magazine, Ken Giami, said the AfDB scored some outstanding achievements in 2020 under Adesina and “infected” Africa with optimism.
Giami said, “ALM feels very proud of the president’s contribution, as he has raised the performance bar for future African of the Year winners. Indeed, his award was a call for greater service to the people, especially at a time Africa needed true leadership.”
African leaders who have won the ALM’s African of the Year award include former Liberian President and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (2011); Sudanese businessman, Mo Ibrahim (2012); former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar (2013); former President of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete (2014); Tanzanian businessman and philanthropist, Mo Dewji (2016); and President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame (2017).
