[The first part of the speech was delivered in French]
Your Excellency Mr. Alassane Ouattara, president of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire,
Your Excellency, Mr. Mohammed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
Mr. Ludovic Ngatsé, Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Integration of the Republic of Congo and current Chairman of the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank Group.
Your Excellencies, Mr. Robert Beugré Mambé, Prime Minister and Head of Government of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire,
Mr. Adama Bictogo, President of the National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire,
Madam Kandia Camara, President of the Senate of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire,
Madam Nialé Kaba, Minister of Economy, Planning and Development of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, and outgoing Chairwoman of the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank Group.
Gentlemen. Mr. Sid'Ahmed Ould Bouh, Minister of Economy and Finance of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and Governor of the African Development Bank Group for Mauritania.
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, outgoing president of the African Development Bank Group.
Dr. Donald Kaberuka, former President of the African Development Bank Group.
Ladies and gentlemen, heads of institutions of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Ladies and gentlemen, members of the government of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire,
Madam Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala, Mr. Amadou Hott, and Dr. Samuel Munzele Maimbo, former candidates for the position of President of the African Development Bank Group.
Ladies and gentlemen, ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps, and regional economic communities.
Ladies and gentlemen, members of the senior management of the African Development Bank Group. Ladies and gentlemen, former members of senior management and retirees of the African Development Bank Group.
Mr. Foster Ofosu, President of the Staff Council of the African Development Bank Group, and staff of the African Development Bank Group. Ladies and gentlemen, members and staff of the African Development Bank Group. Honorable dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen of the press, dear guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Allow me first to fulfill the most pleasant duty, that of thanking those who deserve it most.
President Alassane Ouattara.
How can I not turn to you to express from the bottom of my heart, in deep recognition for the crucial role that has been yours in the journey that leads us to this particular moment? Beyond your precious support, your advice and guidance have been for me an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
Through your noble person, I wish to express my gratitude to all Ivorian authorities and to the Ivorian people, brothers, for the solicitude of which I have always been the object, to the point of feeling like one of yours.
Your Excellence President Mohammed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, please also accept my most sincere thanks and my profound gratitude for the confidence placed in my modest person, and for the tireless efforts that you have deployed to achieve the historic result of last May 29th.
Your personal commitment has sparked a surge of national solidarity rarely equaled.
Allow me in your name to thank all of Mauritania for the exceptional mobilization of your government, traditional and religious authorities, the private sector, media, civil society and so many others.
Your aura in Africa and the world has enabled us to garner enormous support for the Mauritanian candidacy.
May brother and friend countries of Mauritania be blessed!
Mr. President, through your remarkable leadership, you have managed to unite all components of the Mauritanian nation around the principles of national unity, patriotism and republican spirit.
I would also like to express my gratitude to all the governors of the African Development Bank Group for the confidence they have placed in me.
Conscious of the responsibilities that flow from this, I make the solemn commitment to work in close collaboration with each and every one of them, and with all the administrators present here, in a spirit of consultation and collegiality, in order to pursue the mission that unites us: to build a robust and prosperous Africa.
At the moment when I begin my mandate as President of the African Development Bank Group, I must salute the exalting work of my predecessors, who have, each in their time and in their own way, contributed to the building and consolidation of this great financial institution of which we are so proud today.
I particularly wish to congratulate my brothers present here, President Donald Kaberuka and President Akinwumi Adesina.
Dear Akin, history will remember your passion for a prosperous and respected Africa, which earned you the emblematic title of "Africa's Optimist-in-Chief."
As for you, dear Donald, I remember very well, when I was Governor of the Bank for Mauritania, your remarkable results in developing infrastructure in Africa, as well as your determining role in Africa's management of the impacts of the 2008-2009 financial crisis.
I also wish to thank my sister and my brothers who were candidates for the presidency of the African Development Bank and who honor us today by being among us. Thank you, Swazi, thank you Amadou, thank you, Sam; unfortunately, our friend Abass could not make the trip for family reasons. I thank him for his message of sympathy and support.
Know, dear brothers and sisters, that the ideas you have carried, the proposals you have defended and the convictions you have expressed constitute highly appreciated contributions from which I will continue to draw inspiration.
My thanks also go to African intellectuals from all walks of life, to the media and to components of civil society, who mobilized and immensely enriched the debates around the African Development Bank and the numerous expectations regarding it across the continent.
In concluding this chapter of thanks and recognition, I am pleased to make special mention of my campaign team, whose devotion and professionalism are matched only by their love and commitment to the Africa we all want.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, at this particular moment when I take charge of the presidency of the premier African financial institution, I have no illusions about the multiple challenges facing our continent.
The uncertainties linked to geopolitical upheavals, the questioning of multilateralism, the reduction of official development assistance, the heavy debt burden of our countries, the negative impact of climate change, and major delays in achieving sustainable development goals are just a few examples.
Furthermore, one of the major components structuring discourse around development: the centrality of peace, is almost forgotten in the classical doctrine of the prosperity-building process.
This compels us to urgently revisit our investment schemes to introduce an entire section devoted to investment in peace: there is no development without peace. There is no peace without development.
I commit to doing everything so that the African Development Bank makes a significant and enlightened contribution to the desired paradigm change in this sphere.
I remain confident that the African continent will continue to show resilience. It has already demonstrated this during difficult episodes such as the 2008-2009 financial crisis, and more recently with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Africa is watching us.
The Youth is waiting for us.
The time is for action.
[End of translation from French]
When I heard African leader Nelson Mandela say, "I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb," this inspired my program.
The Four Cardinal Points represent not only a framework for action, but a metaphor for our journey. Africa must look north, south, east and west. Not to imitate, but to draw wisdom and strength from each direction, while charting its own course.
Like a navigator guided by a compass, the African Development Bank Group should help Africa navigate toward greater resilience, ambition and sustainability.
Indeed, by mid-century, one in four people on Earth will be African. Our continent is young, ambitious and restless. This energy should be the driving force behind our transformation.
It is with this conviction that I approach my new responsibilities. I intend to begin this journey by embracing humility with a spirit of consultation and a commitment to pragmatism. The path ahead requires not only vision, but also credibility--sending clear signals that the Bank is responsive, accountable and aligned with development priorities.
We must formalize our economies, reset our objectives and encourage partnership and entrepreneurship. Supporting women and men is essential. This involves finance, enterprise and technology--supporting those who will build a brighter future.
The African Development Bank Group cannot deliver on all its priorities alone. This is why partnership is essential.
The Bank is already an active member of the MDB (Multilateral Development Bank) association, and works very closely with the World Bank, the IMF, and other partners around the world.
I am pleased to see that today, we have in this room several colleagues who believe in the importance of partnership and who are ready to work together with the African Development Bank Group to join forces to mobilize resources and scale up African development and to forge new African financial capital.
I would like in particular to recognize the presence in this room of the presidents of four important groups of financial institutions:
Finance in Common, a group of more than 450 development banks worldwide, is today represented by its president, my dear friend and colleague.
The Alliance of African Financial Institutions (AAMFI), a group of ten African financial institutions represented by its president, Samaila Zubairu CEO of the African Finance Corporation. Thank you.
The International Development Finance Club, a group of 44 development banks from five continents, represented by its president, my dear brother Sergio Díaz-Granados, President of CAF.
The Arab Coordination Group, a group of 10 financial institutions, represented by its president, Abdullah ALMUSAIBEEH, President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa.
Thank you.
I intend to expand partnerships to new players, such as sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and others.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to take this moment to send a special message to our employees. You are undoubtedly the most valuable resource of our institution. Your role is crucial in Africa's transformation.
In the coming days, I intend to organize town halls and establish regular meetings with you for exchange and consultation.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the African Development Bank Group cannot aim to be everything to everyone. It must focus on how it can move the needle most effectively, always in a spirit of partnership.
We must work hand in hand with governments, the private sector and our international partners, not in isolation, but in synergy, so that together, we can ensure that finance serves Africa on its own terms.
The challenges of our time--demographics, technology, climate--are universal. But their solutions will not be universal if Africa does not play its full role. They must be shaped by African perspectives, African priorities and African ambitions.
In my first 100 days, I will focus on four urgent priorities:
First, meaningful engagement with our clients, our partners, and our stakeholders to ensure our collective agenda reflects your needs and ambitions.
Second, launching a comprehensive reform agenda to improve our speed of operation, enhance our execution and cut through bureaucratic bottlenecks.
Third, strengthening partnerships with African and global institutions, private sector actors, so that we can mobilize finance at scale and deliver sustainable impact, particularly given the urgency of financing needs and climate finance.
Fourth, accelerating efforts to expand access to financing, create jobs.
Who will be the bridge that connects divides? The bridge between ambitions and execution, between public and private, between urgency and bureaucracy.
Let us move forward together with urgency, with unity and with unwavering accountability.
Together, we will transform Africa's promise into prosperity.
The time has come to honor our commitments.
I thank you all most sincerely.
سۛكرl جزىلl
Je vous remercie.
Asante Sana
Muito obrigado pelo vosso apoio.
