New Telegraph 
The President and Chairman of the Boards of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has paid tribute to the preeminent role played by the institution’s staff in Africa’s development.
He lauded the staffduring the official launch of festivities to mark the Bank’s 60th anniversary in Abidjan. “As President of the African Development Bank, you matter to me.
Regardless of your title or grade, you matter very much to the African Development Bank and you matter to Africa!” This was Dr. Adesina’s poignant and empathetic message to colleagues meeting at the Hôtel Ivoire in Abidjan, and in the Bank’s 40 country offices across Africa as well as in Tokyo, Japan, to celebrate six decades of commitment by the continent’s premier development finance institution.
“Today, as in the past, you are part of Africa’s transformation. The Bank’s entire ecosystem plays a part in each project. Over the last 60 years, different types of staff have brought genuine change to the continent.
Our work over the last eight years has transformed the lives of 400 million people. I would like to thank you for your extraordinary efforts,” Adesina stated.
Praising the courage of members of staff deployed in Somalia and Sudan – both countries facing fragile contexts – Adesina paid tribute to those who risk their own and their families’ lives on a daily basis to advance Africa’s cause.
He said: “If anyone were to ask me what I will miss the most at the end of my term of office as the head of this institution, I will always say: it’s the people. Every time I say it, I am full of emotion.”
“I thank our staff for creating this story for Africa. There is still plenty to do, and it is thanks to their support that we will do it. And I will do everything I can to attract and retain the most talented people to respond to future challenges for both our institution and our continent.
I wish you a happy 60th anniversary,” he added. The AfDB is Africa’s premier multilateral development institution and now has over 2,000 employees. It has funded 6,575 projects on the continent since it was established on 10 September 1964.
The first of these were implemented in Kenya and Sierra Leone. In 60 years, the bank’s capital has grown from $250 million to $318 billion.
During the launch of the festivities, Adama Coulibaly, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Finance and the Budget, representing Nialé Kaba, Minister of Planning, the Economy and Development and the bank’s governor for Côte d’Ivoire, expressed his government’s profound gratitude to Adesina for his leadership and significant achievements as the head of the institution.
