On internal policy matters, the Board approved the establishment of an Economic and Technical Cooperation Unit within the Bank to provide strategic and policy support to the Bank's operations departments on regional integration matters and serve as the Bank's primary interlocutor with external agencies on regional integration issues.

Tunis, 9 July 2008 – Efforts by the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI) to promote the creation of a single currency in the sub-region by standardizing the payment systems in The Gambia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, received strong support on Wednesday in Tunis where the Board of Directors of the African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional window of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, approved a grant of 14 million Units of Account (UA*), equivalent to US$ 23 million to finance part of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) Payment System Development Project.

The AfDB and Kenya have signed loan agreements on the Farm Infrastructure and Rural Livelihoods Restoration Project and the Mombasa-Nairobi Transmission Line Project. The two loan agreements were signed on June 4, 2009, in Nairobi by the AfDB Resident Representative, Domina Buzingo, and for the Kenyan government by its country’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Uhuru Kenyatta. The AfDB financing is estimated at UA (Units of Accounts) 15 million and UA 50 million respectively.

Tunis, 2 July 2008 – Efforts by Malawi to achieve sustainable development and poverty reduction received a boost on Wednesday in Tunis, where the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group approved a loan and two grants of a combined 29.15 million Units of Accounts (UA*), about US$ 47.24 million, to finance the country’s National Water Development Program (NWDP).

The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group and Liberia have signed a grant agreement of €1,694,000 to finance the country’s Water Sector Reform Study.  The initiative is expected to support government efforts to improve water resources management, thereby contributing to efforts at alleviating poverty and meeting MDG targets for water supply and sanitation in the country.