AfDB 2025 Annual Meetings to Spotlight Capital Mobilization for Africa’s Economic Transformation
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire | April 2025 – The African Development Bank Group has announced that the 2025 edition of its Annual Meetings will be held from May 26 to 30, 2025, at the Sofitel Abidjan Hôtel Ivoire, Côte d’Ivoire. The meetings will be held under the theme, “Making the Most of Africa’s Capital to Foster its Development.”
This year’s theme reflects the Bank’s strategic focus on repositioning Africa’s vast capital, human, natural, financial, and commercial resources as the primary engine for sustainable economic transformation. It also signals a broader ambition: to place African countries in full control of their development agendas amid global economic headwinds, dwindling external aid, and increasing geopolitical complexity.
At a pre-meeting press briefing held at the Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan, the institution’s Secretary General, Prof. Vincent Nmehielle, and Chief Economist and Vice President for Economic Governance, Prof. Kevin Urama, outlined the objectives of the event and reiterated the Bank’s commitment to advancing structural reforms across the continent.
Prof. Urama noted that the 2025 meetings would include four high-level knowledge sessions and a presidential dialogue aimed at generating actionable policy proposals. These discussions will centre on how African nations can improve the productivity of their domestic capital, boost resilience to economic shocks, and align with global development frameworks such as Agenda 2063, the UN SDGs, and the Paris Climate Agreement.
“The focus is clear,” Urama said. “We must better harness what Africa already has—its people, its institutions, and its natural resources—to finance its future sustainably.”
The Bank also confirmed that the 2025 African Economic Outlook will be officially released during the meetings. The report will provide an in-depth analysis of topics such as the continent’s debt burdens, global economic shifts, trade barriers, and resource mobilisation strategies to strengthen governance and build institutional capacity.
One of the key moments during the Annual Meetings will be the election of the next President of the African Development Bank, as current president Dr. Akinwumi Adesina concludes his 10-year tenure. Five candidates from five African countries are contesting for the position. According to Nmehielle, the election will be conducted through a double-majority system, requiring both a majority of all 81 shareholders and a majority among regional member countries. The new president will be sworn in on September 1, 2025.
Responding to questions from the press, both AfDB officials addressed concerns about rising trade tariffs, the decline in USAID funding, and access to capital markets for African countries. Urama emphasised that trade protectionism and capital flight present risks but also offer an opportunity to refocus inward and develop homegrown economic solutions.
“The issue is not just capital scarcity but capital effectiveness,” he said. “How do we unlock and scale African capital—both public and private—in a way that delivers impact?”
On the persistent issue of the “Africa premium” in global capital markets, Adesina has previously criticised the systemic risk bias that leads African countries to pay higher interest rates than peers in other regions, despite having lower default rates. This topic is expected to resurface as a key discussion point during the meetings.
Nmehielle closed by urging the media to play a constructive role in framing Africa’s development journey. “Journalists are not just observers; they are accountability actors,” he said. “The story of Africa’s development must be told with accuracy, urgency, and optimism.
