Interviews

01/07/2010 - The adverse impacts of the financial crisis that hit the world in 2008 became evident in Africa towards the end of the same year. Its severity and detrimental impact on investment and trade required urgent, collective countercyclical actions by the international financial community, using creative and pragmatic approaches that would support the recovery of trade flows as soon as possible. In particular, as many African commercial banks were experiencing severe liquidity constraints, the African Development Bank (AfDB) had an important role to play in helping the continent through the financial crisis.

Categories: Economic & Financial Governance, Financial Crisis

22/01/2010 - “We continue to think that, it is time now for Africa to generate growth, become competitive, and take charge of its own future. Agriculture is one of the ways ordinary Africans can deliver food to their tables and money to their pocket,” says UNIDO Agri-business Development Director, Sergio Miranda-da-Cruz.

Categories: Tunisia, Economic & Financial Governance

10/11/2009 - “Public procurement represents nearly 70% of governments’ expenditure and more than 90% of capital expenditure in some African countries,” says AfDB Governance Director Gabreil Negatu in an interview ahead of the High Level Forum on Public Procurement Reforms in Africa, which will be held in Tunis from 16-17 November 2009.

Categories: Tunisia, Poverty Reduction, Financial Crisis, Economic & Financial Governance

01/07/2009 - My book is about how developing countries can strengthen those institutions tasked with overseeing government and holding it to account for the manner in which it manages public resources; in other words, it is about anchoring transparency and accountability in the management of public finances. It focuses on a key pillar of integrity, the external audit agencies, often called supreme audit institutions. Independent and capable audit agencies are critical tools for fighting corruption and reducing waste.

Categories: Economic & Financial Governance

04/06/2009 - Botswana is one of a number of countries that have been hit hardest by the current global financial crisis and economic downturn. This is mainly because of the dominance of the country’s mining industry, particularly diamonds, as the main economic driver and source of exports and government revenues.

Categories: Botswana, Economic & Financial Governance, Financial Crisis

23/03/2009 - Les mesures de soutien de la Banque à la Côte d’Ivoire ont été accueillies très favorablement avec enthousiasme et espoir. Si la date du 6 mars 2009 a été la journée de la Côte d'Ivoire à la BAD, elle aura été également une journée de la BAD en Côte d'Ivoire. Les félicitations ne tarissaient point, venant aussi bien des autorités que des autres partenaires au développement que de la société civile.

Categories: Côte d’Ivoire, Economic & Financial Governance

06/03/2009 - This operation proves, once more, that the AfDB is a smart institution and that its rules are not designed to take the continent hostage. They have, on the contrary, been designed to liberate the continent and to help it prosper economically and socially.

Categories: Côte d’Ivoire, Economic & Financial Governance

02/05/2008 - A workshop on the "Challenges and Opportunities for Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in Africa" took place from April 28-30 in Tunis. Organized by the Bank Group in collaboration with the African Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI), the workshop was designed to help participants share lessons and experiences on challenges audit offices face and opportunities available to them in efforts aimed at fostering integrity and checking corruption in the management of public resources. To help our readers gain a better understanding of the issues discussed during the workshop, Bank in Action, the AfDB’s internal electronic newsletter, spoke to the Director of Governance and Financial Reforms, Gabriel Negatu.

Categories: Tunisia, Economic & Financial Governance

16/11/2007 - The only way to overcome the lack of means to finance high quality economic research in Africa is to strengthen cooperation as well as research networks and institutions, says William Lyakurwa, the Executive Director of the African Economic Research Consortium. In an interview with the Bank Group's internal e-bulletin, Bank in Action, on the sidelines of the African Economic Conference, jointly organized by the AfDB and ECA in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from November 15-17, 2007, Mr. Lyakurwa underscored the importance of research in development.

Categories: Ethiopia, Economic & Financial Governance

23/10/2007 - "The publication of a guide with relevant information on the status of financial markets in Africa should also be considered as a contribution to the development of the financial markets of member countries, but in an indirect way"

Categories: Tunisia, Economic & Financial Governance