The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Government of Zambia have signed an aide-memoire on modalities for the organization of the Bank's 2016 Annual Meetings scheduled to take place in Lusaka from May 23-27, 2016.

The aide-memoire was signed on behalf of the Bank by its Acting Vice-President and Secretary General, Olivier Pinzi, and the Secretary to the Treasury, Fredson Yamba, on behalf of Zambia at the end of the AfDB's preparatory mission to Lusaka from January 18 to 26, 2016.

Speaking during the ceremony, Pinzi said the mission was satisfied that Zambian authorities had made good progress in preparations for the meetings in terms of conference facilities, accommodation and procurements required for the event.

"By March this year, the mission will visit the country again to assess progress," he added.

For his part, Yamba expressed delight at the productive work of the mission during their visit.

"On behalf of the Government, I wish to thank you for your diligence and commitment to working with the Government and further reassure you that we will honour our commitments and deliver to the delegates a successful meeting," he said.

The Annual Meetings will take place at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka on the theme, "Energy and Climate Change," drawing on one of the Bank's "High 5" priority programme to "Light up and Power Africa". The theme further reflects the Bank's New Deal on Energy and the key resolutions from the recent UN climate talks (COP21) on global warming.

The annual meetings is the Bank's flagship event which brings together some 5,000 delegates and participants, usually finance, economy and trade ministers, development partners, representatives of international organizations, academia, civil society and the media, among others. They largely come from the Bank's 54 regional (African) member countries and 26 non-regional member countries.