By Jonathan Leigh, Freetown.
The Africa Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday opened a
Field Branch in Sierra Leone located on Lamina Sankoh
Street in Freetown.
The inauguration ceremony however, was held at the
Miatta Conference Hall, Youyi Building at Brookfields
in Freetown with Finance Minister, John Benjamin(photo), who
is also an ADB Governor performing the official
opening and promising that Sierra Leone will ensure that it
maintains a direct relationship with the ADB as a
development partner and thanked the bank for establishing
an office in Sierra Leone.
He reminded his audience that the bank was established
in 1964 to contribute to the economic and social
progress of its regional members, both individually
and collectively and to mobilize resources for the
financing of development projects and the promotion of
economic integration on the African continent. The
Bank, he went on, currently comprises of 77 member
countries of which 53 are geographically located on
the African continent and 24 non-regional members are
located in Europe.
The Vice-President of the Bank, Madam Zeniab El Bakri who
arrived in Sierra Leone 48 hours prior to Wednesday’s
ceremony, told guests that in so short a time she
attended the ceremony at Parliament the day before,
visited Connaught hospital and the Tombo Community.
The opening of the Bank, she continued, is an
important step for development in Sierra Leone stating
that they have opened 25 regional offices, including
Sierra Leonean one. In addition, the Bank is supporting the
completion of the 50MW Bumbuna Hydro-electric project
to supply Sierra Leone with much needed electricity,
and the Bank will continue close collaboration with
the Government in the identification of projects and
programmes in support of the country’s Poverty
Reduction Strategy and to contribute to the
achievement of the Millenium Development Goal.
Earlier, the Resident Representative of the Bank in
Sierra Leone Mrs. Margaret Kilo said in her welcome
address that the opening of the Bank here is part of
their decentralization strategy and that they are in Freetown to
make thier own positive change in the country. It was
in November 2006 she was instructed to come to
Freetown to set up the Bank, she said.
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