The African Development Bank Group has appointed Mrs. Afef Bouabene-Kallel -- a chartered accountant with over 32 years of experience in financial control, corporate governance and strategic leadership -- as Director of the Financial Control Department and Financial Controller.
Bouabene-Kallel, a Belgian national, served as Officer-in-Charge of the Financial Control Department before her appointment. She also held the position of Manager for the Administrative Expenses Division, overseeing financial reporting, accounting policies, loan accounting, disbursements, and corporate expenses. In addition, she managed engagements with external auditors and the Audit Committee on financial reporting matters.
In her new role, Bouabene-Kallel will provide strategic financial oversight across the Bank's operations. She will also oversee the preparation, timely completion and integrity of financial reports to Management, the Board of Directors, and shareholders in compliance with applicable accounting standards and best practices.
Bouabene-Kallel joined the Bank in 2005 as Senior Financial Accountant, responsible for financial accounting and reporting and subsequently served as Chief Financial Statistician in the Loan Accounting Division. Since 2012, she has led the Administrative Expenses Division, driving efficiency in resource allocation and cost control across the Bank.
She also serves on several key Bank committees, including the Asset and Liability Committee, Credit Risk Committee, Information Systems Steering Committee, Business Transformation Technical Committee, Staff Retirement Plan Steering Committee, and Medical Benefits Plan Steering Committee.
Before joining the Bank, Bouabene-Kallel worked in the audit and accounting sector with Moore Stephens Tunisia (formerly Andersen), where she rose to the position of Manager. She led audit engagements for major private sector clients and provided financial management and transaction advisory services for World Bank-financed projects.
She holds a master's degree in finance and financial risk management from the University of Cergy-Pontoise (France), an International Diploma in European Tax Law from ICHEC- ESSF (Belgium), and a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from the Institut Supérieur de Gestion, Tunisia.
Commenting on her appointment, Bouabene-Kallel said: "I am deeply honored by the trust President Adesina has placed in me. This appointment is both a personal milestone and a renewed commitment to uphold the highest standards of financial integrity and operational excellence. In today's fast-evolving financial environment, I am dedicated to strengthening our governance frameworks through innovation while maintaining transparency and accountability. I look forward to working with our talented teams to reinforce the Bank's financial architecture and support Africa's transformative development agenda."
The President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, commented: "I am delighted to appoint Mrs. Afef Bouabene-Kallel as Director of the Financial Control Department. Her exemplary leadership as Officer-in-Charge and proven track record in modernizing financial systems will help to drive excellence in financial governance. The Bank will benefit greatly from her strategic vision, technical expertise, and commitment to innovation as we continue to strengthen our financial management infrastructure to support Africa's development."
