2025 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group**
The 2025 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group will take place from May 26 to 30, 2025, in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, under the theme: "Leveraging Africa's Capital for its Development." Tunisia will be represented by a delegation led by the Minister of Economy and Planning, Samir Abdelhafidh, Governor of the Group for the Tunisian Republic. The gathering will bring together over 6,000 participants, including heads of state and government, finance ministers, central bank governors, development partners, private sector representatives, civil society members, academics, think tank experts, opinion leaders, and NGOs.
These meetings will provide an opportunity to discuss how Africa can more effectively mobilize its human, natural, financial, and commercial resources to address current challenges: growing debt, climate change, rising tariffs, and geopolitical uncertainties. The highlight of these meetings will be the election of a new President of the Bank, succeeding Akinwumi Adesina, whose second five-year term is coming to an end. Five candidates from five African countries are vying for the position. The choice will be made by the 81 Governors of the Group, with a double majority of 50% + 1 of the shareholders and 50% + 1 of the regional member countries. The elected President will take office on September 1, 2025.
The theme chosen for this edition aims to highlight the potential of African capital as a lever for structural transformation. The objective is to promote the emergence of more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient economic models, while stimulating external financing through strategic partnerships.
Discussions will also focus on key cross-cutting themes such as digital transformation, institutional strengthening, and good governance. This approach is part of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Climate Agreement, the Agenda 2063, and the Group's strategic priorities, the "High 5s": Lighting up Africa, Feeding Africa, Integrating Africa, Industrializing Africa, and Improving the quality of life for Africans.
The Annual Meetings represent the most important institutional gathering of the AfDB. They encompass the 60th Meeting of the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank and the 51st Meeting of the Board of Governors of the African Development Fund, the concessional arm of the Group.
These meetings provide the AfDB Group, which includes the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, and the Nigeria Trust Fund, with an exchange space with shareholders to take stock of the past and debate the major development challenges of the continent.
In addition to the statutory meetings, the program will include knowledge-sharing events organized by the AfDB and the Ivorian authorities.
Recall that the African Development Bank, created following the Khartoum of August 4, 1963, began its activities on July 1, 1966. Its main mission is to contribute to the social progress and economic development of African member countries, individually and collectively. As of December 31, 2023, 81 countries were members of the Group, including 54 African countries and 27 non-African countries.
The Bank is financed by ordinary resources (subscribed capital, loan repayments, borrowings on international markets, financial income) and special funds, such as the African Development Fund (established in 1972) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (established in 1976).
