AfDB President Pushes for Increased Financing and Partnerships at UNGA80
African Development Bank (AfDB) President Sidi Ould Tah is attending the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for scaled-up financing and strengthened partnerships to advance Africa’s development agenda.
High on Dr Ould Tah’s agenda are key issues including financing, climate change, regional integration, socio-economic resilience, and the reform of Africa’s financial architecture. He is also mobilising support for the seventeenth replenishment of the African Development Fund (ADF), the Bank’s concessional lending arm, scheduled for December.
Since arriving in New York, Dr Ould Tah has held high-level discussions with global development leaders and heads of state. He met with UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed to explore ways to deepen cooperation between the UN and AfDB.
He also emphasised Africa’s resilience and the need for development partners to collaboratively strengthen the continent’s financial systems.
In a meeting with UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita, Dr Ould Tah stressed the importance of maternal health and transforming Africa’s population growth into a demographic dividend by investing in women and girls.
He also held talks with Botswana President Duma Gideon Boko, highlighting the need for economic diversification, infrastructure development and job creation for African youth through strategic use of natural resources.
A one-on-one meeting with Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, reaffirmed strong support for AfDB’s mission.
Dr Ould Tah is scheduled to participate in the launch of new National Energy Compacts under Mission 300, a joint initiative with the World Bank to provide electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030, and a trilateral meeting with African Union and UN Economic Commission for Africa officials to discuss continental priorities.
With several African countries already pledging support for the upcoming ADF replenishment, Dr Ould Tah is focused on securing the financing necessary to support 37 low-income African countries.
