The final assessment is underway to evaluate the readiness of the country to host about 1000 delegates for the 57th African Development Bank (ADB) and 48th African Development Fund (ADF) Annual General Meetings.
This is after two previous satisfactory assessments had affirmed the country’s preparedness to host the Annual General Meetings (AGM) of the two main entities of the African Development Bank in Accra at the Accra International Conference Centre for the first time.
Delegates will be made up of Ministers of Finance, Governors of Central Banks, Leaders of local and international Finance and Development Organisations, captains of industry, and civil society organisations.
These are from the 81 Member States of the AfDB which consists of 54 Regional and 27 non-regional member countries.
The Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, who made this known at a press briefing in Accra on Thursday, indicated that planning efforts had covered major issues relating to accommodation, health, security, transportation, protocol, media, and social events.
“We are at 90 per cent the preparation stage and it is going to be one of that moment where we are going to highlight issues that are important to us,” he said.
He indicated that the event, which would officially be held from May 23 and May 27 under the theme, “Achieving Climate Resilience and a Just Energy Transition for Africa,” would have the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo deliver the keynote address at the formal opening.
Line up of activities for the event include a Presidential Dialogue on, “Africa: Development Challenges and Opportunities;” four closed sessions statutory sitting of the Board of Governors; four Knowledge events (open sessions) on the launch of the African Economic Outlook Report, 2022 and Building Resilient Digital Economies for Africa.
Other activities include an Africa Day event, which coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the passing of Dr Kwame Nkrumah; dialogue on Climate Resilience and Africa’s food systems; Green Jobs for Youth and Women in Post-COVID Africa and a seminar on Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).
There will also be a visit by the Spouses of the participating Governors to the Osu Children’s Home while some 3 indigenous industrialists and five FINTECHs will showcase their services and products on the side-lines of the event.
Speaking on the relevance of hosting the event, Mr Ofori-Atta said seminal AGM provided an opportunity to advance discussions on building resilience, addressing financing gaps, and narrowing the continent’s physical and digital infrastructural deficits.
He said other pressing issues that would need to be addressed would include how to push non-regionals of AFDB to acknowledge that the ADF should be able to go to the capital market to leverage $25 billion in equity to bring more resources to the continent.
“In the AfDB, we have a well-positioned institution with a convening power and a network of technical and financial resources to significantly contribute toward finding robust solutions.
“I believe that hosting this high-level event in Ghana will help convey our collective appreciation to the AfDB as a long-standing strategic partner of our country,” he said.
The Bank has over the years provided funds for significant infrastructural development projects, including the construction of the only four-tier Interchange in West Africa, the Pokuase Interchange; the Terminal three at the Kotoka International Airport; the Awoshie-Pokuase road, Fufulso-Sawla Road and parts of the Northern Corridor Roads.
It has also been instrumental in providing support to over 100,000 SMEs in Ghana through the Rural Enterprise Project since 1995 and the provision of education infrastructure and supply of equipment to thirteen TVET institutions, including the Accra and Takoradi Technical Universities.
AFDB has also helped with the supply of 75,000 metric tonnes (MT) of fertiliser and 7,000MT of various seeds for 1.4million farmers to enhance food security.
