Equatorial Guinea hosts African Development Bank’s 2019 Annual Meetings

Isaac Yeboah Business News Mar - 05 - 2019 , 22:10

The 2019 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank will be held from 11th to 14th June in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

About 3,000 participants, including finance ministers, governors of central banks, policy makers, civil society groups, heads of international organisations and business leaders from the Bank Group’s member states are expected to attend the 2019 Annual Meetings, to be held under the theme, ‘Regional integration’, according to a release by the bank.

The Annual Meetings represent a unique opportunity to discuss challenges and ways to advance the continent’s regional integration agenda, which is one of the Bank’s five strategic priorities, known as the High 5s.

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Held previously in Korea and India respectively, the forum is returning this year to African soil following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Bank and Equatorial Guinea.

“The Government and people of Equatorial Guinea are ready and look forward to hosting the African Development Bank’s flagship event in 2019,” the press release quotes Mr. Bernardo Abaga Ndong, general coordinator of the National Technical Committee in charge of the Annual Meetings as saying.

“We are determined to make the Annual Meetings in our country a most resounding success that will definitely bolster our national prestige, because an event with over 3,000 participants is not a small affair,” Ndong emphasised.

An aide-memoire on the country’s preparedness to host the event was signed on 27th February 2019 on the sidelines of regional consultative meetings between the Bank and its African shareholders, held in Abidjan from 25th February to 1st March, 2019, and attended by Equatorial Guinea’s Finance Minister, Lucas Abaga Nchama.

Speaking at the signing, André Basse, the African Development Bank’s Chief of protocol, who signed on behalf of the Bank, commended the host country for its commitment to the success of the Annual Meetings.

With one billion people, Africa has a combined GDP of more than $3.4 trillion. Such a market could create huge opportunities for producers on the continent. But to make it a reality, African governments and regional economic communities should intensify efforts aimed at facilitating the free movement of goods, services, people and trade across borders, the release urged.