Stakeholders endorse AfDB country strategy

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3 years ago

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has received commendation from the representatives of Nigeria’s Diaspora, national networks, and youth and women groups for supporting transformational projects in the country and across Africa.

The AfDB forum, which took place this month, is part of the institution’s ongoing mid-term review of its country strategy for Nigeria, and over two days, more than 200 participants received updates on the bank’s work in Nigeria.

They discussed projects in agriculture, the digital economy, the creative industry, trade and private enterprise.

Opening the forum, the African Development Bank’s Director General for Nigeria, Mr Lamin Barrow, expressed hope that the interactive forum would allow for frank exchanges on the bank activities, projects and programmes in Nigeria.

Barrow stressed the bank’s commitment to participation by women, youth, the diaspora and other key groups in processes that inform the institution’s initiatives in its regional member countries.

“Stakeholder groups play key roles in driving innovation and entrepreneurship to unlock opportunities in various sectors, including agri-business, industry and the digital economy,” he said.

Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, commended the African Development Bank for its leadership in engaging national and sub-national actors.

She said the high-level stakeholder engagement was timely and strategic, noting that “this is the first time we are seeing a multilateral development finance institution do this in the recent past.”

The Chairperson and CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Dr Abike Dabri-Erewa, thanked the African Development Bank for supporting women and for outreach to the diaspora but said more could be done.

She urged the bank to host more diaspora-related initiatives and stressed that the diaspora commission looked forward to working more closely with the bank in this area.

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