AfDB’s ‘High 5’ programme impacts 335m people across Africa —Adesina

The African Development Bank (AfDB) says the high five programmes of the Bank have impacted no fewer than 335 million people and households across African countries.

A statement by Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the President of the Bank on Sunday, said the AfDB over the past six years had delivered great value to the continent.

Adesina listed the programmes to include Light up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialise Africa, Integrate Africa and Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa.

Outlining some of the achievements of the Bank, Adesina said the AfDB would lend 500 million dollars to women in 2022 and had in 2021, paid out 483 million dollars to financial institutions to lend to women businesses.

“AfDB was ranked by Global Finance as the best multilateral financial institution in the world in 2021. When Covid-19 struck, our Board, based on rigorous risk assessments, approved a crisis response facility of up to 10bn dollars.

“We launched a three-billion dollar fight Covid-19 social bond on the global capital markets, the highest ever US dollar-denominated social bond in world history.

“Our rapid COVID-19 response facility helped towards stabilising African economies, it trained 130,000 health workers and provided social protection for about 30 million vulnerable households.

“Our achievements, exceptional management, good governance systems, and delivery of the Bank cannot be denied or misrepresented, based on externally fabricated lies, distortions, misinformation, and deliberately orchestrated campaign of calumny.

“We will tell our story, we will not be defined by mischief makers, lies and biases.

“We are proudly African and we will continue to make Africa proud as Africa’s only AAA-rated financial institution,” he said. (NAN)