- Distinguished Governors of the AfDB, dear colleagues;

- Distinguished members of the Board of Directors;

- Mr. President of the AfDB Group;

- Honorable Ministers;

- Honorable participants;

- Ladies and gentlemen ;

- All in your respective ranks, grades and qualities,

It is an honor for me to welcome all national participants as well as all those who are connected from outside to the opening ceremony of the 2020 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB ).

I would like to send you the cordial greetings of HE Mr. Alassane OUATTARA, President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, who would have liked to welcome you personally at the edge of the Ebrié Lagoon. However, he will have the opportunity to speak to you virtually later.

Honorable participants,

Ladies and gentlemen,

As you can see, the AfDB Group's 2020 Annual Meetings are being held virtually. It's a first.

I would like, in this particular context, to salute the flexibility of the Board of Governors of the AfDB which authorized, on an exceptional basis, the holding of these Annual Meetings by videoconference.

I would also like to thank Mr. Adésina AKINWUMI, President of the AfDB Group, and his team for the perfect collaboration with the Ivorian Government for the organization of this activity.

Finally, I would like to greet and congratulate all our national collaborators who worked for the smooth running of this ceremony.

Honorable participants,

Ladies and gentlemen,

During the last Annual Meetings of the AfDB Group, held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea from June 11 to 14, 2020, the Board of Governors kindly appointed the Governor of Côte d'Ivoire as Chairman of the Board of Governors.

Our mandate, as you know, has been punctuated by major events which, in our opinion, will change the face of our Institution in the long term.

At the end of these Annual Meetings where we will have to pass the torch, allow me to briefly review the major actions of the fifteen (15) months spent at the head of the Board of Governors.

First, I would like to mention the seventh general capital increase of the AfDB (GCI-VII) obtained during the extraordinary meeting of the Board of Governors of the AfDB, held in Abidjan on October 31, 2019. This increase of a value of 115 billion, the largest in the history of the AfDB, increased its capital from 93 billion to 208 billion US dollars. It not only allows the bank to maintain its excellent AAA rating, but also to further support the development efforts of African countries.

Next, allow me to highlight the management of the crisis within the AfDB in relation to the whistleblowers' complaint against the President: in this regard, I would like to commend the efforts of all the Governors and the the Bank who were able to adhere to my proposals for concerted and consensual solutions. I would like to reiterate my thanks to the Panel of three high personalities under the leadership of Mrs. Mary ROBINSON, whose completely independent work exculpates President ADESINA against the said allegations, but above all reinforces the credibility of the organs of the institution, a guarantee of its stability and its reputation vis-à-vis its shareholders.

Finally, I would like to point out the historic decision of the Bank's Board of Directors which approved the Covid-19 Rapid Response Facility (CRF), endowed with 10 billion US dollars, intended to finance crisis exit plans. and assisting regional member countries and the private sector. I salute the leadership of President Adésina AKINWUMI and the initiatives taken to accelerate Africa's development and help the continent mitigate the impact of the health crisis.

Honorable participants,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Beyond its harmful effects, the pandemic is forcing us to take up the challenge of digitizing our economies. In this regard, we must be able to make the most of this digitization and the organization of the AfDB's 2020 Annual Meetings, in particular the election of its Chairman by electronic means, appears to be a real step forward in our working methods. This is an opportunity for me to congratulate the Bank for all the assurances given on the credibility and confidentiality of the electoral process. In view of the interest generated by the use of this technology, I would like to encourage the Bank's Management to provide substantial support to African countries individually and collectively in order to strengthen national and regional digital infrastructure for greater connectivity.

Honorable participants,

Ladies and Gentlemen Governors,

As you can see, our mandate was a challenge mandate.

In this regard, I would like to thank the members of the office, in this case the Governor of Argentina, first vice-president and the Governor of Namibia, second vice-president for their decisive support throughout the mandate.

I would also like to thank all the Governors for their collaboration and their contribution which made it possible to achieve the satisfactory results that we have just mentioned. I know I can count on your support, dear Governors, so that the electoral process which will begin tomorrow and will crown our work takes place in very good conditions.

Good advice from the Governors to all.

Thank you.