Abidjan, May 26 — Outgoing President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group Akinwumi A. Adesina commended the diversified cooperation between Tunisia and his institution.

Speaking to TAP on the sidelines of the AfDB's Annual Meetings in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, Adesina pointed out that this cooperation covers several sectors, mainly energy, pharmaceutical infrastructure, drones' deployment in the agricultural sector and pharmaceuticals, recalling the fact that Tunisia had hosted the Bank's headquarters for several years, a fact he described as emblematic of the country's longstanding ties with the institution.

The 2025 Annual Meetings of the AfDB Group- marked this year by the election of a new Bank president- are organised on May 26-30 in Abidjan under the theme: "Making Africa's Capital Work Better for Africa's Development."

Tunisia is represented by a high-level delegation led by Minister of Economy and Planning Samir Abdelhafidh, who serves as the country's Governor to the Bank.

At the close of his term on head of the AfDB, Adesina affirmed to TAP his intention to dedicate his time "to strategic networking and to championing Africa's interests on the global stage."

He further highlighted that under his leadership, the Bank achieved the largest capital increase in its history--soaring from $93 billion in 2015 to $318 billion today--calling it "an unprecedented milestone."

He also noted that the institution recorded the most substantial replenishment of the African Development Fund's resources to date, securing $8.9 billion under its 16th replenishment cycle.

(Reporting by Aïda Sghaier; Translation by Ahmed Gaddeh; Editing by Nejiba Ben Dhaou)