OREANDA-NEWS. April 13, 2016. The African Development Bank (AfDB) is set to participate in the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, to be held in Washington DC, from April 12-17, 2016, an annual gathering that brings together over 1,000 participants from government, civil society, the private sector, the press and academia.

President Akinwumi Adesina will lead the AfDB delegation to the meetings, which will feature important discussions related to private sector development, financing education, unlocking financial capital for infrastructure development, the migration crisis, food security and climate change among others. The President will also meet bilaterally with several Governors of Regional Member Countries (RMCs) and Non-Regional Member Countries to discuss the Bank’s ongoing institutional reforms, his vision for the Bank and the 14th replenishment of the African Development Fund (ADF-14).

On his first day in Washington, on Thursday, April 14, President Adesina will take part in the Annual Global Coalition for Education alongside other global leaders such as Kristalina Georgiva, the Vice-President of the European Commission; Peter Laugharn, the President and CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation; Eric Postel, Associate Administrator of USAID; and Rosalind Hudnell, Vice-President, Corporate Affairs, and President of the Intel Foundation.

Adesina also joins the Heads of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) on Saturday, April 16 for the Global Infrastructure Forum. At the forum, heads of MDBs are expected to discuss and explore ways of unlocking capital to close the huge infrastructure finance gap in the developing nations. On Sunday, April 17, Adesina will join Bill Gates as co-chair of the Investing in Nutrition – The Foundation for Development event, the first-ever investment framework to reach the global nutrition targets. The event will feature Keith Hansen, Vice-President for Human Development at the World Bank; Marie-Claude Bibeau, Canada’s Minister for International Development; and Ariela Luna, Deputy Minister for Political and Social Assessments in Peru.  

This mission to Washington comes just after a tour of Southern Africa (April 4-8, 2016), where President Adesina pledged the Bank’s support for agricultural transformation in the region. Adesina also announced a \\$549-million relief package to the Southern and Eastern Africa regions, which are currently experiencing severe drought, affecting 14 countries. The drought has left almost 36 million people in need of urgent food assistance.

President Adesina has often emphasized the importance of transforming African agriculture, which is largely rain-fed, and susceptible to fluctuations in weather patterns. “Only by rapidly transforming the agriculture sector can Africa meet the growing food needs of its population, while boosting incomes for millions of its farmers, and creating much needed jobs,” he said.