What: African Development Bank Group

Who: Opening ceremony of the African Development Bank Group's 2021 Annual Meetings

When: Online via live streaming

Where: Wednesday 23 June 2021, 11:00-11:45 GMT

The opening ceremony of the 56th Meeting of the Boards of Governors of the African Development Bank and the 47th Annual Meeting of the African Development Fund, the concessional arm of the Bank Group, will take place virtually on Wednesday, 23 June 2021.

The theme of this year's meetings is Building Resilient Economies in Post Covid-19 Africa.

Governors of the Bank's 54 regional and 27 non-regional member countries will attend the opening ceremony, where a series of speeches will be delivered by key members of the Bank and other stakeholders. The Finance Minister of Ghana Ken Ofori-Atta, the current chair of the Board of Governors, will address the audience.

Some 3,000 participants are expected to attend the meetings online. This includes finance ministers, central bank governors, policy makers, representatives of civil society groups, heads of international organizations, business leaders from the Bank Group's member states and journalists.

2021 Annual Meetings - A Call for Bold Domestic Reforms

African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina said: "The deep scars left by the Covid-19 pandemic (in Africa) will take time to heal." As a result of the pandemic, the continent's GDP fell by 2.1% in 2020 and poverty and inequality are increasing. At least 30 million Africans fell into extreme poverty in 2020 and another 39 million could follow in poverty in 2021. The debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to increase by 10-15 percentage points in 2021 and debt is a pervasive concern.

Journalists interested in covering the virtual opening ceremony of the Annual Meetings are invited to register here.

Following the opening ceremony, there will be a panel discussion on: "From Debt Resolution to Growth: The Road Ahead for Africa" from 12:00-14.00 GMT. During this session, Bank Governors will share their views on the key findings and policy recommendations of the Bank's 2021 African Economic Outlook report.

Confirmed speakers include:

Ms Kristina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organisation

Mr Ahmed Shide, Minister of Finance, Ethiopia

Ms Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget & National Planning, Nigeria

Dr Domitien Ndihokubwayo, Minister of Finance, Burundi

Mr Alamine Ousmane Mey, Minister of Economic, Planning and Regional Development, Cameroon

Mr Tarek Amer, Governor, Central Bank of Egypt

To register for the panel discussion, click here.

Media contact: Grace Kiire | Communication and External Relations Department | African Development Bank | Tel: +225 0575753398 | Email: g.kiire@afdb.org