Adesina sworn in for second term as eighth President of AfDB

Nigeria’s Akinwunmi Adesina was Tuesday sworn into office for a second term as the eighth President of African Development Bank (AfDB), following his re-election last week.

The ceremony, which held at the lender’s Abidjan headquarters, was presided over by the newly appointed Chair of the Board of Governors, Ghanaian Finance Minister Kenneth Ofori Atta, who administered the oath of office, the bank said in a statement on its website.

“Today, a rainbow stretches from the 81 member countries of the African Development Bank across the deep blue skies of Africa…The future beckons us for a more developed Africa and a much stronger and resilient African Development Bank,” Mr Adesina said before participants after taking the oath.

Several presidents attended the virtual ceremony live and sent messages of support.

They included Paul Kagame of Rwanda, the president of Liberia, George Weah, Alpha Conde of Guinea, Guinea Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and Denis Sassou Nguesso of Republic of Congo.

Nigeria’s immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar were equally in attendance.

READ ALSO: I was re-elected with 100% of the votes, a first in AfDB’s history —Adesina

Ofori-Atta was assisted by the past Board of Governors Chair, Ivorian Planning Minister Niale Kaba, and the Bank’s Secretary-General Vincent Nmehielle who read the resolution of the Board confirming Adesina’s election.

Governors of the 54 African regional member countries as well as 27 non-regional member countries of the AfDB unanimously elected the eight president for a second five-year term on 27^th August, the final day of the 2020 Annual Meetings.

“We need to continue to steer and direct the Bank’s efforts to setting global standards of excellence, integrity, commitment to service and responsiveness to the challenges of the continent,” Ofori-Atta said.

“You earned a new mandate in a most historic fashion,” he told Adesina.

Adesina, while delivering his speech, said: “we have collectively charted a new path for Africa…We have achieved collectively impressive results.

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