At a press conference on November 5, 2013 in Bamako, Mali, during his tour to the Sahel, the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Donald Kaberuka, said the joint mission of donors was an important step toward effective coordination to help the region face a complex and multidimensional crisis.
In addition to financial means, Kaberuka said there needs be a change in favour of more supple disbursement procedures and better coordination to ensure the effectiveness of donor interventions in the Sahel region. "We need to take calculated risks rather than waiting on the disbursement procedures for years on end," said Kaberuka, adding that the "the complexity of the crisis in the Sahel calls for effective and coordinated action."
Addressing the media, Kaberuka reiterated the main points of his intervention earlier that morning in Bamako, at the opening ceremony of the inaugural Ministerial Meeting to establish a platform of coordination for the United Nations integrated strategy for the Sahel. He confirmed that the AfDB will make a contribution of $4 billion to help make the Sahel a region of stability and economic growth.
Talking about the Action Fund for the Sahel, which will be administered by the AfDB, Kaberuka pointed out that the fund will receive resources from all donors and friends of the region willing to provide their support. Kaberuka indicated that he hoped this fund, the modalities of which are being negotiated, will prove useful and efficient. He also expressed the wish that contributions will meet the needs of the population.
Referring to the ongoing crisis in the region, President Kaberuka stated that, given its complex nature, coordinated actions and means under the supervision of the States involved is necessary.
Peace and security, he said, are prerequisites to development. Job creation, in particular for young people, is a contributing factor to stability. However, job creation, he observed, is only possible if more investments are made in energy infrastructure, the private sector and agriculture.
According to the AfDB President, the African economy will reach a turning point only when the continent attains a regular growth of seven per cent, as is the case with Brazil and some Asian countries.
On the Bank's return to its headquarters in Côte d'Ivoire, Kaberuka said the road map is on course. "I am happy that things are going well. We are working hand-in-hand with the Tunisian and Ivoirian Governments," he said.
The joint AfDB-World Bank-United Nations-African Union-European Union mission to the Sahel includes visits to Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad.
