. Chikwanda

By JAMES KUNDA and MAIMBOLWA MULIKELELA –
AFRICAN Development Bank (AfDB) President Akinwumi Adesina has assured the Africa that the institution will strive to implement all its strategies aimed at alleviating poverty on the continent.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda yesterday officially closed the 2016 annual AfDB meetings in Lusaka.
Dr Adesina said his institution was committed to ensuring that its goal of the ‘High fives’, which is part of the AfDB 10-year strategy, was implemented for the benefit of people on the continent.
He said this at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka yesterday at the closing Press briefing of the 2016 annual meetings.
The AfDB ‘High fives’ have been classified as ‘light up and power Africa’, ‘feed Africa’, ‘integrate Africa’, ‘industrialise Africa’ and ‘improve the quality of life for the people of Africa’.
“I do not want to see Africa end up as a museum of poverty because the continent has a lot of untapped potential to alleviate its people from the bondage of poverty.
“We agreed (during the just-ended meetings) that Africa lacks the technology and the financing to adopt renewable energy exclusively in the short-term, but that the bank will lead the way in encouraging renewable energy,” Dr Adesina said.
Meanwhile, Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe said there was need to strengthen investment and economic ties for Africa to achieve her desired growth.
Ms Mwanakatwe said the potential for strengthened investment and economic ties among African countries could be enhanced through meaningful contribution to growth and development of the continent.
She said this in a speech read for her by Commerce, Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Raymond Mpundu during the official opening of the Zambia Investment Forum on the sidelines of the just-ended AfDB annual meetings in Lusaka.
The Investment Forum, aimed at showcasing Zambia’s investment opportunities in various sectors of the economy, was held under the theme ‘Investing in renewable energy for economic growth, job creation and a cleaner environment’.
“This forum is a suitable platform for both emerging and established companies to interact with various financiers, business developers and potential business partners,” Ms Mwanakatwe said.
The minister said the Government would continue to implement positive and forward-looking investment and economic policies to foster economic development.
She urged local and foreign investors to take advantage of Zambia’s conducive investment environment by investing in various sectors of the economy, particularly energy.
The 2016 AfDB annual meetings held under the theme ‘Energy and climate change’ were officially closed by Mr Chikwanda, who is chairperson of the AfDB Board of Governors’.