Sharm El Sheikh(Rep. Arab of Egypt), June 03, 2023– The African Development Bank (AfDB) held its 58th Annual Meeting from May 22 to 26, 2023 in Sharm El Sheikh (Arab Republic of Egypt), on the theme ” Mobilizing private sector financing for climate and sustainable growth in Africa” .
Numerous Heads of State and Government, Executive Heads of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and AUDA-NEPAD, as well as special guests, took part in the various meetings.
The delegation from the Commission of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), led by the Commissioner for Spatial Planning and Infrastructures Mrs Marie-Thérèse Chantal Mfoula, was composed of the Commissioner for the Environment, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Rural Development, Doctor Honoré TabunaDirector of Cooperation and Resource Mobilization Rachel Mpondo and the Head of the Department in charge of Disaster Risk Management and Adaptation to Climate Change, M. Semingar.
The delegation from the ECCAS Commission took part in various thematic events on knowledge, in particular the high-level plenary session focusing on the launch and presentation of the African Economic Outlook 2023 report on the theme of “Knowledge for all”. Mobilizing private sector financing for climate and green growth in Africa “. These prospects underline the urgency of accelerating climate action and green transitions to boost the continent’s inclusive and sustainable development.
Following this high-level meeting, other thematic knowledge-sharing events on various sub-themes relating to climate finance were held in Sharm El-Sheikh, focusing the attention of the Commission delegation.
As part of the activities of the Annual Meetings held on the sidelines, the ADB Group organized on May 25, 2023, the 2nd meeting of the heads of regional and continental institutions under the theme ” Mobilizing capital for smart infrastructure and deeper integration “. The Bank Group’s key message was to strengthen collaboration between regional institutions and the AfDB to effectively and meaningfully address the continent’s key development challenges. At the end of the meeting, the AfDB and regional institutions were asked to work together on the sidelines of the 5th mid-year coordination meeting, scheduled to take place in Nairobi from July 13 to 16, 2023.
It should also be noted that the ECCAS Commission delegation took part in other parallel events, such as bilateral meetings with the AfDB’s Central Africa Managing Director on the one hand, and with the Group’s Vice President in charge of Agriculture and Human and Social Development on the other.
During the audience granted to the delegation by the AfDB’s Director General for Central Africa on May 25, 2023, the two Commissioners expressed their deep gratitude to the Bank for its constant support and guidance in the implementation of infrastructure projects, the bedrock of regional integration in Central Africa, and congratulated the Partner on its responsibility and leadership shown on the issue of climate finance in a context where Africa is paying a heavy price.
On this occasion, a number of programs presenting challenges for bilateral cooperation between the two parties were discussed, and levers for action set out. The meeting enabled the two parties to identify their priorities and agree on new avenues for collaboration, such as natural capital, which will be the subject of a consultation in Libreville as part of the preparation of the Bank Group’s next ten-year strategy 2025-2034.
The last major item on the agenda was the bilateral meeting between the ECCAS Commission delegation and the AfDB Vice-President in charge of agriculture and human and social development. During the meeting, the two parties discussed the need to develop synergies to restore Lake Chad, and also agreed to explore ways of strengthening their partnership in the areas of women’s empowerment and agro-industry with basic infrastructure.
The Commission delegation expressed its satisfaction with its participation in this work, in view of the results obtained, the opportunities and the spin-offs in terms of prospects for strengthening cooperation between ECCAS and the AfDB.
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