Abidjan- The President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, on Wednesday August 26, 2020, invited the governors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) gathered during the annual meetings of the Institution, to show ambition and realism in their thinking.

During these meetings opened exceptionally by videoconference due to the COVID-19 crisis, President Ouattara said that the African populations expect a lot from the projects and programs initiated by the AfDB.

He said he hoped that the governors will look into certain issues, in particular financing for the realization of the projects.

In terms of realism, according to the Ivorian President, it will be up to the governors to take into account the specificities of the Member States in the resolution of socio-economic problems. This, “so that no country wishing to benefit from the increase in the capital of the Bank is left out”.

The Board of Governors of the AfDB approved on October 31, 2019 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, a capital increase which increased the Bank's capital by a historic amount, from 115 billion to 208 billion. of dollars.

The 2020 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank are under the theme "Building Back Africa Better after the COVID-19 Pandemic". They will end on Thursday with the (electronic) election of the President of the AfDB. The current president, Akinwumi Adesina, is the only candidate in the running for a new five-year term.