Kaberuka and UK Special Envoy Pledge to Support "Sahel Action Fund"

6 February 2014
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African Development Bank (Abidjan)
press release

African Development Bank President Donald Kaberuka and United Kingdom Special Envoy to the Sahel, Stephen O'Brien, held talks on the Sahel region during a lunch on Wednesday, February 5, 2014 in Tunis.

Kaberuka shared his experience from the high-level visit to the Sahel region late last year and described the steps the AfDB is taking to respond to the region's needs. The President also highlighted the Sahel Action Fund and requested that the Special Envoy encourage the UK Government to support this initiative.

"Over the last few decades, the Sahel region has been witnessing repeated climate-related crises, a source of persistent suffering and vulnerability. The population has been coping with these crises with courage and determination," Kaberuka highlighted.

The international community, through the UN, has asked the Bank to host an Action Fund for the Sahel to receive resources from all donors of the region who want to lend their support.

Stephen O'Brien said the AfDB plays a vital role in the Sahel region. "Given AfDB's prominence in Africa, its goals and objectives are of special significance to the UK," he said. He also said he looks forward "to working with the AfDB to deepen the already close relations between UK and the Bank."

Recalling his roots in Mtwara, Tanzania, O'Brien said: "My deep personal connection to Africa makes today's lunch especially meaningful to me."

O'Brien and President Kaberuka had met previously, when he was the Department for International Development Minister. O'Brien was born in Mtwara, Tanzania, and educated in Mombasa.

Read the original article on African Development Bank (AfDB).

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