The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the Government of India have pledged to make the Bank Group's 2017 Annual Meetings a resounding success. The Meetings are scheduled to take place in Ahmedabad, the capital of the state of Gujarat, from May 22-26, 2017.
The commitment followed a Memorandum of Understanding endorsed by both parties on Thursday, September 15, 2016, at the end of the Bank's first Annual Meetings Preparatory mission to assess facilities and logistics for the event in Ahmedabad.
"For us this is a special moment. It officially kick-starts preparations for the 2017 Annual Meetings and underscores the growing cooperation between the Bank and India in particular, and between India and Africa in general," AfDB Secretary-General, Vincent Nmehielle, said after he signed the MOU on behalf of President Akinwumi Adesina.
The Meetings, taking place on the heels of the India-Africa Summit held in New Delhi last year, would further boost the long-standing economic cooperation between the two sides and open up new avenues for fruitful business engagements between them, he added.
The Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Bandana Preyashi, who signed on behalf of the Finance Secretary, said that the Government and people of India highly appreciate the opportunity they have been given to host the Bank's most important annual event.
"It is a great honour for us to host the 2017 Annual Meetings. We will do all that is necessary to make the event a resounding success," she added.
The Bank's mission, led by Secretary General Nmehielle and the Director and Chairperson of the Permanent Committee for Annual Meetings (PECAM), Nnenna Nwabufo, reviewed facilities at the Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre, which will be the main venue of the meetings. They also visited major hotels in the city and exchanged with Gujarat and Delhi authorities on the need for adequate facilities for the Meetings in the areas of transportation, health, security, media and other important services required for the event.
Members of the Bank delegation included the Head of AfDB Security, William Godbout; Travel and Logistics Manager, Christian Dossou; Chief Medical Officer, Nelly Iteba; Principal Conference Management Specialist, Mahamat Bardi; Principal Information Officer, Felix Njoku; Principal Protocol Officer, André Basse; Senior IT Network Engineer, Rasmane Ouedraogo; and Events Management Officer, Germain Yao.
The team also met with public- and private-sector partners and service providers, including hotel, airline and telecom operators, as well the top hierarchies in the finance, security, immigration and tourism services in the State of Gujarat and in Delhi, for discussions on how to make good and effective delivery of these services to ensure the success of the Annual Meetings.
India, with a population of 1.3 billion, covers the South Asian sub-continental landmass. Delhi joined the African Development Bank in 1982. The country is a key member of the institution's 24 Non-Regional Member Countries, which support the African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional resource window of the Bank
Group. In 2013, Delhi increased its contribution to the 13th replenishment of the Fund by 57.28% to US $18.5 million (INR 1.03 billion), among other investments.
The country continues to strengthen its relations with Africa, accounting for investments estimated at US $7.4 billion, mostly lines of credit channeled through the Export-Import Bank of India, for the implementation of 137 projects in 41 countries across Africa.
The next Annual Meetings preparatory mission is scheduled to take place in January 2017.
For more information on the AfDB Annual Meetings: www.afdb.org/am
Official hashtag: #AfDBAM2017
