The Board of Governors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) will be electing a new president in May 2015. As Governors representing the Southern African Development Community at the African Development Bank, we have endorsed the candidacy of Mr Zondo Thomas Sakala to stand for the presidency of the African Development Bank.
With 31 years’ experience at the AfDB, Mr Sakala has good knowledge of Africa’s development issues. He has held various positions at the Bank including that of Vice President for Country and Regional Programmes before he left the Bank to campaign for his candidacy.
Mr Sakala’s mission is to sustain and enhance the transformation of the African Development Bank and Africa. The closure of the infrastructure gap in the continent will be his priority, with special attention to the challenges of rapid urbanisation, promoting Intra-Africa trade and the transformation of the rural economies. He wants to deepen dialogue and trust while strengthening regional institutions to promote regional integration.
He will work closely with the African Union and regional organisations and identify key drivers to address fragility and conflicts. He also plans to enhance the development of a credible, resilient African private sector through promoting an enabling environment, effective institutions and mechanism to finance small, medium enterprises and provide robust support for Public Private Partnerships.
To promote gender equality, Mr Sakala will build a deeper understanding of what drives gender prejudices, exclusion and violence in the different communities and countries.
The SADC region is fully united in supporting Mr. Sakala. We are of the view that the turn is now for SADC to lead the African Development Bank and we have a Candidate who "is made to fit" the Bank's Agenda in support of the transformation of African economies.
Background on the election of a new AfDB President
The African Development Bank operates under the leadership of the President, who serves as the legal representative of the Bank, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors, and the Chief of Staff of the Bank.
The President conducts the current business of the Bank, under the direction of the Board of Directors. The President is elected by the Board of Governors and serves a 5-year term, renewable once.
The current President, Dr. Donald Kaberuka, a national of Rwanda, was elected in July 2005, and commenced his first term on 1 September 2005. Following his re-election in May 2010, he commenced his last 5-year term on 1 September 2010.
The Rules of Procedure Governing the Election of the President of the African Development Bank (Article 1), as amended, require that the Bank hold the election of the President during the Annual Meeting closest to the end of the term of office of the serving President.
Accordingly, the Board of Governors will be electing Dr. Kaberuka’s successor on 28 May 2015, during the Bank’s Annual Meeting, scheduled to take place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from 25 to 29 May 2015.
For more information on the election process please visit the AfDB website https://www.afdb.org/en/
Enquiries:
Communications Unit
Tel: 012 315 5944
E-mail: media@treasury.gov.za
