• 28 May, 2025
• FAITH MIMDOO KEGH
• No comment

AfDB President Adesina: 565 Million Lives Impacted in 10 Years.

President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has stated that th

e Bank’s initiatives under his leadership over the past decade have positively affected the lives of 565 million people across Africa.

Speaking at the 2025 AfDB Annual Meetings in Côte d’Ivoire, Adesina reflected on his two-term presidency, highlighting achievements in electricity, agriculture, infrastructure, employment, and healthcare.

According to Adesina, under the Bank’s “High 5” priorities—Light up and power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa—the Bank achieved the following:

  28 million people gained access to electricity
  104 million achieved food security
  121 million benefited from improved transport
  128 million accessed better healthcare
  67 million had improved access to ICT
  63 million gained access to safe drinking water
  34 million accessed improved sanitation

He noted that these achievements were driven by record levels of funding, with the Bank approving \$102 billion in financing over the decade—representing nearly half of the Bank’s total funding since its founding in 1964.

Of that, over \$55 billion  went into infrastructure, including roads, railways, ports, and utilities.

Adesina highlighted specific projects such as:

  The Noor Ouarzazate solar plant in Morocco, once the world’s largest concentrated solar facility
  The Lagos-Abidjan highway corridor, with feasibility studies supported by AfDB and \$15 billion in investment interests mobilized
    Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones in 8 Nigerian states and the FCT, with plans to expand to 28 more states backed by \$2.9 billion in funding

He also emphasized AfDB’s role in launching innovative financial tools, such as:

  The first synthetic securitization by a multilateral development bank in 2015  A \$750 million hybrid capital instrument introduced in 2024, opening a new asset class in the global investment market

Adesina further pointed to the success of broader initiatives like the Africa Investment Forum and the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program, aimed at enhancing investment and climate resilience across the continent.

These milestones, he said, reflect the Bank’s growing global leadership in development finance and its commitment to transforming Africa.

FAITH MIMDOO KEGH

Manager – Oversees the daily operations, editorial planning, and strategic direction of the platform. A graduate with a solid academic foundation in media and communication, Faith brings a wealth of experience to the TokinPoint.

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