Adesina Reaffirms Commitment to Africa’s Development as His AfDB Presidency Nears Its End

Lagos, Nigeria — As Dr. Akinwumi Adesina approaches the conclusion of his tenure as President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) on September 1, 2025, he delivered a powerful keynote address at the Standard Chartered Africa Summit on July 31, reaffirming his unwavering passion to mobilise global capital for Africa’s economic transformation.

In his speech, titled “Tilting Global Capital for Unlocking Investment Opportunities in Africa,” Adesina urged global financial institutions to deepen strategic partnerships with AfDB and other multilateral development banks to significantly scale up investment flows into the continent.

Africa’s Optimist in Chief Looks Beyond the Presidency

Opening with his characteristic optimism, Adesina declared:

“As I step into a new future, you can be sure this will be my focus! For I will always have Africa in my heart and in my sight.”

The Summit, themed “Africa to the Globe: Innovation, Resilience, and Growth,” attracted a stellar lineup of corporate leaders, policymakers, investors, and influencers, including Nigeria’s Minister of Trade and Investment Dr.Jumoke Oduwole, Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, and acclaimed author Chimamanda Adichie.

Bold Financial Innovation at the Heart of AfDB’s Strategy

Adesina highlighted AfDB’s pioneering role in financial innovation over the past decade, emphasising the Bank’s proactive approach to optimising capital usage rather than waiting passively for more funding.

“We are innovating to do more with the capital we have. Through balance sheet optimisation, we stretch every dollar of risk capital further.”

He described three key ambitions for AfDB:

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Freeing up capital to increase available funds.
Crowding in investors through innovative instruments and partnerships.
Amplifying developmental impact by strategically targeting investments that accelerate Africa’s growth.

Impressive Milestones and Innovative Financing Products

AfDB’s portfolio and financial achievements under Adesina’s decade-long leadership are unprecedented:

Provided over $102 billion in low-cost financing since 2015.
Raised its capital base from $93 billion in 2015 to $318 billion in 2024, marking the highest increase in the Bank’s 60-year history.
Spearheaded the rechanneling of the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to multilateral development banks, enabling 4-8 times leveraging capacity.
Launched the Africa Investment Forum, mobilising over $225 billion in investment interest across key sectors since 2018.
Issued the largest social bond among multilateral banks: $14 billion in eight years.
In 2025 alone, issued $10 billion in long-term global benchmark bonds.
Executed first-ever synthetic securitisation of a $1 billion private sector loan portfolio and the largest-ever private sector hybrid capital transaction of $750 million, with a $5.1 billion book order.
Created a ‘Room to Run Sovereign’ offering that unlocked nearly $2 billion in sovereign lending headroom.
Delivered $3 billion in partial credit and risk guarantees, mobilising $5 billion in investment financing.
Facilitated Egypt’s historic Panda Bond issuance on the Chinese capital market using a $250 million partial credit guarantee.

Championing Strategic Partnerships and Local Currency Solutions

In recognition of significant collaborations, Adesina praised Standard Chartered Bank’s partnership with AfDB, specifically highlighting its role as the sole lender in Côte d’Ivoire’s €533 million sustainable loan partial credit guarantee deal, which won ‘Sovereign Syndicated Loan Deal of the Year’ in 2025.

Adesina reaffirms commitment to Africa’s development as his presidency of AfDB nears end

He called for enhanced cooperation among global financial institutions to:

Embrace greater use of risk mitigation and credit enhancement tools.
Mainstream Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) best practices for sustainable investment.
Expand local currency financing to reduce dependence on volatile foreign exchange markets.

Nigeria: A Pivotal Focus for AfDB’s Growth Agenda

Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria, holds the largest portfolio at AfDB, valued at $5.1 billion, with 52 active projects split evenly between the public and private sectors. Approximately 84% of the portfolio comprises national operations.

Looking ahead, the Bank plans to launch a Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank in Nigeria aimed at financing opportunities for young entrepreneurs continent-wide.

AfDB is also rolling out Phase 1 of its Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) across eight Nigerian states, including Kaduna, Cross River, Oyo, and Ogun, with Phase 2 scheduled for September 2025 to cover the remaining states.

As Dr. Adesina prepares to pass the helm, his enduring commitment to unlocking Africa’s potential and rallying global capital remains steadfast.

His decade at the AfDB has been marked by transformative capital mobilisation, innovative financing solutions, and forging strategic partnerships, pillars that will continue to underpin Africa’s development trajectory in the years to come.