Impact

Abidjan, May 27, 2025 (CrestNewsOnline) Several millions of lives were directly impacted during my 10-year period at the African Development Bank (AfDB), outgoing President Akinwumi Adesina says.

Dr Adesina stated this during a Media Welcome Breakfast which marked the beginning of the 2025 Annual Meetings of the Bank in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

He said the AfDB under his leadership directly impacted the lives of over 565 million people through over the past decade.

“There was this strategy we called ‘the High 5s’. It was introduced in 2015, and it focussed on five key development priorities: Light Up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialise Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.

“With this strategy’s implementation, 128 million people gained access to better healthcare, 121 million benefited from improved transportation and 104 million were food-secured.

“Additionally, 63 million people now have access to potable water, 34 million to improved sanitation, and 28 million to electricity.

“These are not just numbers, they are futures. They are hopes realised. Development should be judged not just by statistics but by human impact.

“Today, as we approach the end of my 10 years as President of the AfDB Group, the sails on our ship remained high and strong,” he said.

Adesina said the Bank’s work extended to places like Lesotho, Kenya, Egypt and Senegal, and its interventions had transformed access to water, energy and sanitation, and bridged regional divides.

The outgoing President said the High 5s are the bedrock of transformation which had evolved from strategic priorities into a development movement embraced by African leaders and communities.

Adesina’s tenure will formally end with the ongoing annual meetings, where a new President will be elected.
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