AFRICA – Speaking Monday at a breakfast meeting with journalists, president of the African Development Bank Group, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, described his 10-year presidency as a consuming yet profoundly fulfilling mission.
The press briefing is the first official event of the bank’s 2025 annual meetings, taking place in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire from 26 to 30 May 2025 – during which a new president of the bank will be elected.
“This is not a job. If anyone is looking for a job, please don’t take it. This is not a job. This is a mission,” he said. “As my wife Grace and staff would tell you, for ten years I have had no life. Completely zero. I worked every single day. Every single step.”
Adesina expressed gratitude for the opportunity to lead the institution. “Serving as president of the African Development Bank Group has been the greatest honor of my life,” he said. “It has been a decade of relentless purpose, of enduring passion, and of tireless service.”
The event was attended by journalists covering the annual meetings, which are expected to draw a record 6,000 delegates from 91 countries, including policymakers, private sector leaders, academics, civil society, development partners, and media.
“[This] is one of my favorite moments of every annual meeting. It gives me the opportunity to speak frankly, reflect deeply, and thank you sincerely,” Adesina told the journalists, adding that the 2025 meetings are “the final chapter of a remarkable decade of transformation.”
Delivering his remarks in English and French, Adesina reeled out the bank’s biggest achievements, including the largest capital increase in its history, from $93 billion in 2015 to $318 billion; the record replenishment of the African Development Fund, raising $8.9 billion; and the half a billion Africans who have benefited from the bank’s investments under his leadership.
Adesina’s presidency began in 2015 with the launch of the “High 5s” development priorities: Light Up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.
Ten years on, those priorities have made a profound impact. “The High 5s have impacted on the lives of over 565 million people across Africa,” Adesina said. “These are not just figures. They are futures. They are hopes realized.”
The president of the African Development Bank Group expressed his gratitude to the media for their support over the past decade, and for their presence at the last annual meetings under his headship.
“Your role is more important than ever,” he said. “You are not just observers. You are amplifiers of Africa’s voice. You shape the narrative. You challenge us. You inform the world.”
Echoing his keynote remarks from the All-Africa Media Leaders’ Summit in May 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya, Adesina called for the emergence of African media platforms that will credibly amplify positive continental narratives on a global scale.
Looking ahead, Adesina expressed pride in the transformation of the bank during his tenure, and its enhanced global stature.
“The African Development Bank you have today is not the African Development Bank you used to have. This is a global institution now,” he said.
Asked what advice he would offer his successor, Adesina responded:
“The responsibility of that leader is to build on the past, to look far into the future, and to find within themselves what courage it takes to stand up for Africa’s interests. To make sure that Africa’s voice is never silenced on issues that matter globally and where it matters globally.”
Reflecting on the forthcoming transition, and the institution he will hand over on September 1, 2025, Adesina declared:
“Leadership may change, but the mission remains. The Bank’s direction is clear, its resolve strong, and its commitment to Africa’s development unshakable.”
Read Dr Akinwumi Adesina’s speech at the media breakfast here.
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