On Monday, May 23, 2016, African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina launched the Special Panel on Accelerating the Implementation of the Bank's Ten Year Strategy. The launch took place during the ongoing African Development Bank (AfDB) Annual Meetings.

The Panel has been convened to assist the Bank and provide recommendations on how to implement the High 5 Priorities. The panel is co-chaired by Kofi Annan, Chair of the Africa Progress Panel, and Horst Kohler, Former Federal President of Germany. Panel members are K.Y. Amoako, President, African Center for Economic Transformation; Paul Collier, Director, Department of Economics, University of Oxford; Jay Ireland, President & CEO of General Electric, Africa; Justin Lin, Honorary Dean and Professor, Peking University; Trevor Manuel, Senior Advisor, Rothschild Group; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Chairperson, GAVI Alliance Board; Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland; Ismail Serageldin, Director, Library of Alexandra; Joseph E. Stiglitz, Professor Emeritus, Columbia University; and Lars Thunell, Global Water Development Partners.

During opening remarks, Adesina urged the importance of the High 5s: "The aspirational goals that we have set for each of the High 5s are deliberate and are what the continent needs to achieve transformation." He asked that the recommendations of the panel also be aspirational.

Over the next 10 months, the panel will meet three additional times to discuss and guide the Bank on issues in areas including: political will and political economy reform, financing requirements, partnerships, and making the Bank fit for purpose.

The recommendations of the panel will be produced as a high level report that is addressed to Heads of State within and outside the continent, heads of bilateral and multilateral institutions, Chief Executive Officers of private sector companies and other relevant decision-makers, to bring together all actors to support Africa's transformation.