Sierra Leone Telegraph: 04 June 2025:
At the start of its Annual Meetings in Abidjan on 28th May in Côte d’Ivoire, the African Development Bank held a high-level Presidential Dialogue aimed at outlining the next phase of the continent’s development.
The panel featured Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, President Azali Assoumani of the Union of Comoros, Tanzania’s Vice President Philip Mpango, and Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine.
They shared national progress stories and proposed strategies to deepen intra-African trade, strengthen energy and transport systems, and scale up domestic resource mobilization – key areas targeted to ensure Africa fulfills its economic potential.
Photo above: African Development Bank Group President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina (center) is joined by Ghana’s President John Mahama (third from right), Comoros President Azali Assoumani (second from right), Tanzania’s Vice President Philip Mpango (third from left), and Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Zeine (second from left). On the flanks are Dr. Victor Oladokun, Senior Advisor to the Bank’s President and co-moderator (far right), and Ms Marie-Angele Touré, co-moderator (far left).
Earlier, in welcome remarks, Côte d’Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara reiterated that Africa must fund its own future. “We can’t keep waiting for outsiders. Our roads, schools, and jobs should be built with our own capital. It’s time to invest in ourselves,” he told the gathering of heads of state and government, ministers, heads of development finance institutions, and civil society representatives.
This year’s annual meetings, which are being held under the theme Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development, also serve as an opportunity for leaders to pay tribute to Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, who concludes his second term in office at the end of August.
Mahama told the panel about his country’s significant debt restructuring progress, forecasting a debt-to-GDP ratio of 55–58 percent by year-end – well ahead of schedule.
Mahama, who won elections in December 2024 on a platform of economic reform, also highlighted Ghana’s growing role as a trade hub, with upgraded ports serving as redistribution centers across West and Central Africa.
“We’ve transitioned into a transactional world, which signals to Africa that we need to pull ourselves out by our bootstraps,” he said while underscoring the importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
President Assoumani spoke about the vital role of the Comorian diaspora, whose remittances exceed official development assistance and account for approximately 20 percent of the country’s GDP. He outlined plans to streamline investment channels from the diaspora, which numbers 350,000 people compared to an 800,000-strong domestic population.
“Our diaspora represents about 50 percent of our population, and they are full patriots at heart. Wherever they are, they think about their country,” he said and unveiled new initiatives to streamline investment channels from overseas.
Mpango described a $12.9 billion national energy compact, anchored by a completed 2,115-megawatt hydropower plant and supported by plans to develop 57 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves.
To do this, they raised domestic finance with innovative models. “Tanzania’s infrastructure bond programs and innovative use of pension funds for development projects are cited as models for sustainable domestic financing,” he said.
From Niger, Prime Minister Zeine announced the country had achieved food self-sufficiency for the first time in 60 years.
“Energy import dependence has dropped from 70 percent to under 30 percent, and oil production is forecast to reach 30 million barrels in 2025,” he said, adding that these developments underpin projected GDP growth of 7.4 percent. “The government has pledged to allocate revenues toward poverty reduction and sustainable development.”
Regional integration was a dominant theme throughout the session. Leaders cited major infrastructure initiatives – from the Trans-Saharan Highway to cross-border power grids – as essential for boosting trade and connectivity. Discussions also focused on strengthening Africa’s voice in global finance and expanding the continent’s economic negotiating power.
Setting the tone for the meetings, Dr. Adesina delivered an emotional farewell speech, offering an optimistic reflection on his decade-long leadership of the Bank while emphasizing the urgent need for the continent to become self-reliant.
In his address, he described the Bank’s impact across the continent, including $91 billion in support, 565 million lives improved, and transformational investments in infrastructure, food systems, energy, and financial inclusion. He urged African nations to harness their own capital—natural, financial, and human — to drive a new era of self-reliant development.
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