The President of the Republic of Guinea and Chairperson of the African Union, Alpha Condé, paid a courtesy call on African Development Bank Group President Akinwumi Adesina on Tuesday, March 28, in the Bank headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Condé was in the Ivorian capital for the opening ceremony of the 2nd International Conference on the Emergence of Africa.

President Condé signed the Bank's Golden Book and said it was a pleasure to be back in the institution's original headquarters building. "It is a good place to take stock of the immense progress our Bank has made for the service of Africa," he wrote. "With his High 5s programme, I am sure that President Adesina will leave an indelible mark on the history of our continent."

Condé thanked Adesina for his bold leadership since assuming office in September 2015, and his drive to implement the Bank's five development priorities, known as the High 5s. Adesina lauded President Condé for his leadership, particularly his efforts to accelerate renewable energy development in Africa through the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI).

Adesina called on Condé, in his capacity as Chairperson of the African Union, to support and advocate for the High 5s at the AU level and among Heads of States, underlining its strong alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063, according to a recent UNDP report.

President Condé also expressed delight at the progress towards the opening of the Bank's country office in Conakry, the Guinean capital, and looked forward to strengthening his Government's cooperation with the Bank to unlock Guinea's huge agriculture potential, as well as promote youth employment and deepen economic integration with neighbouring countries.