A delegation from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has visited the headquarters of the African Development Bank Group in Abidjan to strengthen institutional collaboration and exchange perspectives on strategic planning, policy frameworks, and operational approaches.
The visit, which took place at the beginning of March, was coordinated by the Operational Strategies and Policies department, known as SNSP. The AIIB delegation held meetings with various departments across the Bank: Development Impact and Results, Resources Mobilization and Partnerships, Fiduciary and Inspection, the Finance Complex, the Safeguards and Compliance Department and Business Transformation.
Discussions focused on accelerating delivery and improving business & operational models through innovation. A key area of common interest for both institutions is expanding co-financing in Africa.
The AIIB delegation also outlined their strategic priorities and areas of engagement including their ambition to increase approvals by three-fold over the next four years. The delegation was made up of Quan Zheng, Director General, Strategy, Policy and Budget Department; Oliver Barron Manager, Strategy, Policy and Budget Department; Hany Nabil Mostafa, Senior Investment Officer, Public Sector Clients Department, Region 2; Yan Bo, Senior Operational Policy Specialist, Strategy, Policy and Budget Department and Liane Elbertsen, Senior Strategy and Policy Officer, Corporate Strategy, Policy and Budget Department.
Caroline Kende-Robb, Senior Director for Strategy and Operational Policies at the Bank, outlined how the Bank's Ten-Year Strategy serves as the institution's overarching framework, providing long-term direction while remaining flexible enough to respond to emerging global and regional challenges.
She said, "Delivering at scale in today's environment requires a step change in how we operate. It demands innovation in our delivery models, faster execution, and a relentless focus on mobilising capital at scale."
The discussion also highlighted the Four Cardinal Points introduced by Bank Group president, Sidi Ould Tah, which serve to accelerate the implementation of the Ten-Year Strategy. Ms Kende-Robb further underscored the department's role in strategic foresight and horizon scanning to anticipate emerging trends and crises, ensuring the institution remains responsive to evolving challenges.
The discussion also emphasized the importance of global and regional public goods such as climate action, food security, pandemic preparedness, financial stability, and peace and security, while addressing resources constraints and exploring innovative financing instruments.
Walter Odhiambo, Lead Strategy Advisor at the Bank noted, "We are working to mainstream global public goods into every operation, for instance projects take into accounts climate related issues, and in regions affected by conflicts or other risks, we ensure peace, security and resilience are integrated into the project design".
Gauthier Bourlard, Senior Director for Resource Mobilization and Partnership, said, "The Bank Group must play a leadership role in catalysing development finance with other players coming on the continent like AIIB. We must collectively offer sustainable financing solutions to African countries and accompany them on their development trajectory.
He added: "The African Development Fund is a powerful leveraging instrument to be deployed along with AIIB to support low-income countries."
