AfDB President Distance Self from 2023 Presidency
President of the African Development Bank, AfDB Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has said he is not contesting the 2023 Presidential.
Adesina communicated this in a statement on Tuesday. His comment follows the purchase of the All Progressives Congress presidential nomination form for him by a group after several calls have been made for him to join the race.
“While I am deeply honoured, humbled and grateful for all the incredible goodwill, kindness, and confidence, my current responsibilities at this time do not allow me to accept to considered,” the statement read in part.
“I remain fully engaged and committed to the mission that Nigeria, Africa, and all the non-African shareholders of the African Development Bank have given me for Africa’s development.
“I remain fully focused on the mission of supporting the accelerated development and economic integration of Africa.”
Dr Adesina is currently serving his second tenure as President of the AfDB. He was re-elected on August 27, 2020, at the 55th Annual Meetings of the bank. He started his second term on September 1 that same year.
He was first elected as President of the AfDB on May 28, 2015, and is the first Nigerian to occupy the position.
Under his leadership, the African Development Bank’s Board of Directors approved a $10 billion facility to support African countries in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bank also launched a $3 billion COVID-19 social bond on the global capital markets, the highest US dollar-denominated social bond ever in world history, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, Luxembourg Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.
Dr Adesina has distinguished himself in driving a bold agenda to reform the bank and accelerate Africa’s development. He is a globally-renowned development economist, a World Food Prize Laureate and Sunhak Peace Prize Laureate.
