Friday, 29 May 2020

"Trump respect the governing systems of the African Development Bank" - African Leaders

In a statement on Friday, the former leaders said the bank and its president, Akinwumi Adesina, should not be distracted at a time when the continent is battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fifteen former African leaders have urged the U.S. government to respect the governing systems of the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The leaders — including Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, former Nigerian presidents, — said conflict resolution processes outside laid down rules would undermine the reputation of the bank and its president.

The US, through Steven Mnuchin, its treasury secretary, had called for an independent probe of Akinwumi Adesina, AfDB president, despite being absolved of whistle-blower allegations by the bank’s ethics committee.

“Adesina, who some whistle-blowers alleged to have violated the banks’ code of ethics, has firmly and consistently declared his innocence of these allegations.
“The ethics committee of the board of directors, a legal oversight body of the bank, made up of representatives of shareholders, cleared Dr Adesina of all 16 allegations, declaring them as baseless and unsubstantiated and exonerated him completely.

“Governance is all about respecting and abiding by rules, laws and established governing systems of organizations. In the case of the AfDB, while differences may exist among parties, the best way to address them is to first respect the rules, procedures and governance structures of the bank.

“The African Development Bank is a pride for all of Africa, and its president, Dr Adesina, has taken the bank to enviable heights. At this critical time that Africa is battling with COVID-19, the bank and its president should not be distracted.”
Listing achievements of the AfDB under Adesina’s leadership, the leaders said: “The bank announced a $10 billion crisis response facility to support countries in Africa. The bank also successfully launched a $3 billion Fight COVID-19 social bond, the largest ever US dollar-denominated bond in world history”.

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