AfDB Annual Meetings 2017: President Adesina leads mission to India
The President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) Akinwumi Adesina and Senior Official of the Bank will make a four-day official visit to India beginning on Thursday, March 30, 2017 to engage Indian authorities on cooperation and review facilities put in place for the 2017 Annual Meetings.
Coming ahead of the 2017 Annual Meetings of the Bank Group, which are taking place from May 22-26 in Ahmedabad, capital of the State of Gujarat, about 777 kilometres southeast of New Delhi by air, Adesina and his team will meet the African diplomatic corps in New Delhi and review facilities put in place for the organization of the Bank’s annual flagship event.
Adesina and his delegation are scheduled hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister and AfDB Governor for India, Arun Jaitley, and other key members of the Indian Government.
They will also attend an interactive session on the Bank’s High 5 development priorities; confer with the Managing Director of the Export-Import Bank of India, at the India EXIM Bank Regional Office, and participate in the opening ceremony of the 2nd Annual Meeting of the New Development Bank (NDB) set up by the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) for infrastructure development.
On April 2, the President will leave New Delhi for Ahmedabad, where they will be received by the Chief Minister of Gujarat State, Vijay Rupani, and visit the Mahatma Mandir International Conference Centre in Gandhinagar, capital of the State of Gujarat and main venue of the Annual Meetings. They will also visit Toran Gandhi Ashram, home of India’s preeminent independence leader, Mahatma Gandhi.
The visit will close with a press conference hosted by Adesina and other top Government officials.
India joined the African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional arm of the AfDB in 1982, and the AfDB a year later. The country is a key member of the institution’s 24 non-regional member countries, which support the ADF. In 2016, India pledged US $18.09 million (INR 1.25 billion) for the 14th replenishment of the ADF, as well as a bridge loan of US $14.94 million.
New Delhi continues to strengthen its relations with Africa, accounting for investments estimated at US $7.4 billion, mostly lines of credit channeled through the Export-Import Bank of India, for the implementation of projects across Africa.
With a population of 1.3 billion, the South Asian continental country of 29 States and seven Union Territories is the world’s second most populous nation and its 3rd largest economy with a 6.4% share of Global GDP. The country’s economic growth is expected to accelerate to 7.8 % in 2016-2017 and 7.9 % in 2017-2018.
