The President of the Republic of Liberia, His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., has nominated additional members of government affecting the Local Government of Margibi and Sinoe Counties. 

These nominations where applicable, are subject to consent by the Liberian Senate. 

The nominees are:

I.    Margibi County
1.    B. Lewis Kaine- County Administrative Officer, Kakata City, Margibi County
2.    Togea Samu Zarwea- County Development Officer, Kakata City, Margibi County
3.    Mrs. Maria Doe- County Finance Officer, Kakata City, Margibi County
4.    Rev. Gbanrgawoe Eddie Seyboe- City Mayor, Kakata City, Margibi County
5.    Judy Z. Smith- City Mayor, Unification City, Margibi
6.    James J. Kpleh- City Mayor, Marshall City
7.    Sam N. Golue- County Relieving Commissioner, Kakata City, Margibi County
8.    Martin K. Senegba- Commissioner, Larkata Township
9.    James Ketter- Commissioner, Cinta Township
10.    Mr. Arthur G. Kollie- Commissioner, Borlorla Township
11.    Mr. Jenkins N. Quaye- Commissioner, Shiefflin Township
12.    Mr. Samuel Willie- Commissioner, Charlesville Township
13.    Arthur Borkuah- Commissioner, Kaba District, Margibi County
14.    Mdm. Rebecca Hills- Commissioner, Mambahn District, Margibi County
15.    William Lemuel- Commissioner, Gibi Adm. District, Margibi County
16.    Joshua M. Dennis- Commissioner, Lloydville Township  

II.    Sinoe County
1.    Darius Shajay Nagbe Sr- Statutory Superintendent, Kpanyan Statutory District
2.    Alfred J. Jarwood- Commissioner, Numopoh District, Kpanyan Statutory District
3.    Augustine K. Chea- Commissioner, Kpanyan District, Kpanyan Statutory District
4.    S. Kanboe Sneh- Commissioner, Petu District, Kpanyan Statutory District
5.    Stephen Wion- Commissioner, Planson District, Kpanyan Statutory District
6.    H. Warrant Cooper- Commissioner, Greenville District, Kpanyan Statutory District
7.    Dennis T. W. Jabbah- Commissioner, Butaw District, Kpanyan Statutory District 
8.    Nathaniel Chenwlah- Commissioner, Murrayville Township, Kpanyan Statutory District
9.    Bestman Weagbe- Commissioner, Kou Township, Kpanyan Statutory District 
10.    Mentu Saye- Commissioner, Menwah Township, Kpanyan Statutory District
11.    Anthony Tweh- Commissioner, Dorbor Township, Kpanyan Statutory District
12.    Daddy Toteh- Commissioner, Ceedor Township, Kpanyan Statutory District
13.    Nehemiah Sneh- Commissioner, Blountville Township, Kpanyan Statutory District
14.    Stanton Birch- Commissioner, Lexington Township, Kpanyan Statutory District
15.    Samuel B. Strother- Commissioner, Louisiana Township, Kpanyan Statutory District
16.    Saywon Wah- Commissioner, Farmerville Township, Kpanyan Statutory District
17.    Peter N. Jerboe- Commissioner, Worteh Township, Kpanyan Statutory District
18.    Joseph James- Commissioner, Longville Township, Kpanyan Statutory District
19.    Wleh Gbalee- Commissiner, Saytue Township, Kpanyan Statutory District 
20.    Chancy B. Jarwee- Commissioner, Jerwee Township, Kpanyan Statutory District
21.    Lawson Geoh- Commissioner, Kamanyan Township, Kpanyan Statutory District
22.    Alfred Jah- Commissioner, Duo-Wolee Nyenuee Township, Kpanyan Statutory District 
23.    George Bartee- Mayor, Tubmanville City
24.    Philip N. Wah- Mayor, Delkilo City
25.    Oliver Tweh- Mayor, Twehville City
26.    Prince W. Nimely- Mayor, Tolbertville City
27.    Sem K. Seah Sr- Superintendent, Dugbe River Statutory District
28.     George S. Tenneh- Commissioner, Jlah District, Dugbe River Statutory District
29.    Gabriel N. Wesseh- Commissioner, Sarbor District, Dugbe River Statutory District
30.    Doe Kekeh Doe- Commissioner, Klah District, Dugbe River Statutory District
31.    Patrick J. Doe- Commissioner, Ba-Nakay District, Dugbe River Statutory District
32.    Kii Wleh- Commissioner, Klah Municipality, Dugbe River Statutory District
33.    Archibald Bartee- Commissioner, Nana Kru Township, Dugbe River Statutory District
34.    Charles Tekay- Commissioner, Lower Tuoh Township, Dugbe River Statutory District
35.    Nah Waleh- Commissioner, Gbakla Township, Dugbe River Statutory District
36.    Peter Blay- Commissioner, Menwah Walker Township, Dugbe River Statutory District
37.    Mccauley Nagbe- Commissioner, Swenpo Township, Dugbe River Statutory District
38.    T. Ernest Slah Iii- Commissioner, Kaequekpoh Township, Dugbe River Statutory District
39.    Sorey Sackor- Commissioner, Gmankenkpo Township, Dugbe River Statutory District
40.    Dolly D. Doe- Commissioner, Gbardee Dweh Township, Dugbe River Statutory District
41.    K. Tweh Slewion- Commissioner, Gbata Township, Dugbe River Statutory District 
42.    P. Alexander S. Slah- Mayor, Karquekpoh City
43.    Jeremiah Swen- Mayor, Gbalakpoh City
44.    Solomon S. Tefleh- Mayor, Swenpon City
45.    Emmanuel W. Manneh- Mayor, Gbakla City
46.    Darius Kiah- Mayor, Menwe Walker City
47.    Eugene M. Swen- Mayor, Nyanpon City
48.    Alex Nah-Wleh- Mayor, Klowen City
49.    Johnny Wion- Statutory Superintendent- Jedepo Statutory District
50.    Christain Swen- Commissioner, Ta-Jadepo District, Jadepo Statutory District
51.    Alex Jah- Commissioner, Jorboh District, Jadepo Statutory District
52.    Nofoko Johnson- Commissioner, Suay District, Jadepo Statutory District
53.    Jerry Karteh- Commissioner, Dubukon District, Jadepo Statutory District
54.    Wilfred Blayee- Mayor, Ducorfree City
55.    J.J. Wleh Wesseh- Mayor, Nyanasu City
56.    Othello Sneh- Mayor, Kijliken City
57.    Paul Wesseh- Mayor, Jokokree City
58.    Topoe Tuah Wleh- Mayor, Dooduwaken City
59.    Alex Piso- Mayor, Bletiken City
60.    Nelson Teh- Commissioner, Jarpuken Township, Jadepo Statutory District
61.    Isiah Jaychenneh- Commissioner, Jokoken Township, Jadepo Statutory District
62.    Edwin Q. Sloh- Commissioner, Gbartiken Township, Jadepo Statutory District
63.    James N. Komoteh- Com Missioner, Jehdubu Township, Jadepo Statutory District
64.    Otis Pennoh- Commissioner, Dooduwaken Township, Jadepo Statutory District
65.    Elijah Sneh- Commissioner, Swendubukoun Township, Jedepo Statutory District
66.    Milton P. Tumoe- Commissioner, Martuken Township, Jadepo Statutory District
67.    Jerry Dweh- Commissioner, Wotuwon Township, Jadepo Statutory District
68.    John B. Wleh- Commissioner, Jarboville Township, Jadepo Statutory District
69.    Leviticus S. Tarpeh- Statutory Superintendent, Jaedae Statutory District
70.    S. Wiah Tarplah- Commissioner, Jaedae Quioh District, Jaedae Statutory District
71.    D. Walatee Boyee- Commissioner, Jaedae District, Jaedae Statutory District
72.    Sylvester N. Wesseh- Commissioner, Bokon District, Jaedae Statutory District
73.    Nathaniel Kumeh- Commissioner, Ninee Municipality, Jaedae Statutory District
74.    Alex K. Koffa- Commissioner, Bodae District, Jaedae Statutory District
75.    Tarpeh Dorwon- Commissioner, Seongbaeville District, Jaedae Statutory District
76.    H. Doe Kofa- Commissioner, Lower Bokon Township, Jaedae Statutory District
77.    Christopher Nyongbe- Commissioner, Bokon Township, Jaedae Statutory District
78.    Melvin Lee Doe- Commissioner, Mount Susu Municipality, Jaedae Statutory District
79.    Philip D. Swen- Commissioner, Jarkaken Township, Jaedae Statutory District
80.    H. Kofa Doe- Commissioner, Diyankpo Township, Jaedae Statutory District
81.    Isaac Doe- Commissioner, Bodubu Township, Jaedae Statutory District
82.    Naomi Gray- Mayor, Diyankpo City
83.    George Tarplah- Mayor, Duku City
84.    T. Gbarwin Swen- Mayor, Jarkaken City
85.    Adolphus Gbargbeh- Mayor, Tuzonburg City
86.    Helena S. Sackor- Mayor, Titiyen City
87.    Sammkai O. Bility- Statutory Superintendent, Juarzon Statutory District
88.    Easter Togba- Commissioner, Juarzon District, Juarzon Statutory District
89.    John Karlor- Commissioner, Lower Juarzon District, Juarzon Statutory District
90.    Elijah C. Karpeh- Commissioner, Central Juarzon District, Juarzon Statutory District
91.    Vester Jardiah- Commissioner, Upper Juarzon District, Juarzon Statutory District
92.    Tolbert Norman- Mayor, Bilibokree City 
93.    Milton Pyne- Mayor, Gbaswen City
94.    Doris Jah- Commissioner, Nedoweh Township, Juarzon Statutory District
95.    Angeline Farley- Commissioner, Kpasarbah Township, Juarzon Statutory District
96.    Viola Saywiah- Statutory Superintendent, Seekon Statutory District
97.    Nathaniel Farley- Commissioner, Juboe District, Seekon Statutory District
98.    Nyounthy Krahn- Commissioner, Peljaydoe District, Seekon Statutory District
99.    Friday Yay- Commissioner, Tonny District, Seekon Statutory District
100.    David Saydee- Commissioner, Plansonjah District, Seekon Statutory District
101.    Helena Farley- Mayor, Planidilabo City
102.    Rev. Sampson Kannah- Mayor, Mexico City
103.    Rufus Gleeah- Mayor, Judue City
104.    Christina William- Mayor, Voogbardee City
105.    George Kowho- Mayor, Pellokon City
106.    Isaac Quotoe- Commissioner, Toboe Township, Seekon Statutory District
107.    Catherine Robert- Commissioner, Saywiah Township, Seekon Statutory District
108.    David Queateh- Commissioner, Slawo-Wo Township, Seekon Statutory District
109.    Lawrence Jarboe- Commissioner, Zoe-Saydee Township, Seekon Statutory District
110.    Kweku Quelay- Statutory Superintendent, Wacaba Statutory District
111.    Steven Doewleh- Commissioner, Upper Wedjah District, Wacaba Statutory District
112.    Agnes G. Queeley- Commissioner, Lower Wedjah District, Wacaba Statutory District
113.    Kulah Wiah- Commissioner, Upper Carbadae District, Wacaba Statutory District
114.    Annie Wah- Commissioner, Lower Carbadae District, Wacaba Statutory District
115.    Feleciah Karpeh- Mayor, Gbalawin City
116.    Grace Farley- Mayor, Wrowiah City
117.    Daniel Sennah- Mayor, Shadee City
118.    Thomas Sneh- Mayor, Gbajueboe City
119.    Joseph Tailue- Mayor, Chebioh City
120.    Joseph S. Teah- Mayor, Tetee Jaywee City
121.    Ophelia Gbordor- Mayor, Flahn City
122.    Harris Seyon- Commissioner, Kai Township, Wacaba Statutory District
123.    Edwin Foah- Commissioner, Geelor Township, Wacaba Statutory District
124.    Alex Kublee- Commissioner, Polagbeville Township, Wacaba Statutory District
125.    Victoria F. Jah- Commissioner, Mile 48 Township, Wacaba Statutory District
126.    Joe P. Sumo- Statutory Superintendent, Tarjuowon Statutory District
127.    Peter Keh- Commissioner, Kulu District, Tarjuowon Statutory District
128.    Nathan Bloh- Commissioner, Plahn District, Tarjuowon Statutory District
129.    Philip Q. Pantoe- Commissioner, Shaw-Bo District, Tarjuowon Statutory District
130.    Sylvester B. Gblah- Commissioner, Nyarn District, Tarjuowon Statutory District
131.    Joseph J. Dehjay- Mayor, Unification City
132.    Wilbert Ponnie- Mayor, Clarksville City
133.    Ruth Mapu Chea- Mayor, Jacksonville City
134.    Thomas Neewlay- Mayor, Simijilla City
135.    Napoleon Kingston- Mayor, Bestnewlue City
136.    Dixon Bodioh- Mayor, Gleatah City
137.    Samuel K. George- Commissioner, Myerville Township, Tarjuowon Statutory District
138.    Timothy Saymah- Commissioner, Nyamville Township, Tarjuowon Statutory District
139.    Josephus T. Dehjay- Commissioner, Dorbiohville Township, Tarjuowon Statutory District
140.    Saydee Bioh- Commissioner, Shaw-David Township, Tarjuowon Statutory District
141.    Duncan Tarjubue- Commissioner, Kingston Weagbah Township, Tarjuowon Statutory District
142.    John T. Toteh- Commissioner, Upper Nyan Township, Tarjuowon Statutory District
143.    Polson Tarley- Commissioner, Neeweh Township, Tarjuowon Statutory District
144.    Agent Wonjah- Commissioner, Samuville Township, Tarjuowon Statutory District
145.    Morris Bewehyee- Commissioner, Bewehyee Township, Tarjuowon Statutory District
146.    Augustine P. Solomon- Statutory Superintendent, Sanquin Statutory District
147.    Alderine S. Wiah- Commissioner, Geetroh District, Sanquin Statutory District
148.    Solomon Wleh- Commissioner, Toetoe-Duo District, Sanquin Statutory District
149.    Arthur Pyne- Commissioner, Tarsue-Karbor District, Sanquin Statutory District
150.    Jepheth B. Dorjue- Mayor, Geetroh City
151.    Titus Johnson- Mayor, Togbaville City
152.    Rose F. Jayenneh- Mayor, Kayweah City
153.    Mark Tiahgo- Mayor, Tonita City
154.    Othello Wleh- Mayor, Palm Wine City
155.    Mary Geegbe- Mayor, Baima City
156.    Henery Wolloh- Commissioner, Totoe Township, Sanquin Statutory District
157.    Eric Gboyne- Commissioner, Tarsu Township, Sanquin Statutory District
158.    Henry Ponah- Commissioner, Geetroh Township, Sanquin Statutory District
159.    Abraham Buweh- Commissioner, Neequiah Township, Sanquin Statutory District
160.    Matthew Tarpeay- Commssioner, Upper Sanquin Township, Sanquin Statutory District
161.    David Blay- Commissioner, Lower Sanquin Township, Sanquin Statutory District
162.    Jerome D. Gbayee- Commissioner, Wotuken Township, Sanquin Statutory District
163.    Leo Nah- Commissioner, Troday Township, Sanquin Statutory District

President Boakai further calls on all those nominated and appointed to continue to demonstrate diligence, commitment, integrity, professionalism, and loyalty in service to country.  

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of Liberia: Executive Mansion.

Bunkering company FAMAR PSC will participate at Angola Oil&Gas (AOG) 2024 – Angola’s premier event for the oil and gas sector, scheduled for October 2 -4 in Luanda – as a Silver Sponsor. The company is also sponsoring a downstream panel discussion at the event. FAMAR PSC’s return to the conference is expected to strengthen dialogue surround marine bunkering and supply services in Angola.  

AOG is the largest oil and gas event in Angola. Taking place with the full support of the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas; national oil company Sonangol; the National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency; the African Energy Chamber; and the Petroleum Derivatives Regulatory Institute, the event is a platform to sign deals and advance Angola’s oil and gas industry. To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com.

FAMAR PSC is expanding its ship fleet and leading the modernization of port infrastructure to establish Angola as a bunkering hub. The company offers a range of services including passenger and cargo transport, trading, storage, fuel management, vessel chartering, and ship repairs, all vital for supporting oil and gas operations in Angola. Notably, FAMAR PLC has partnered with Azule Energy on Block 18 and contributed to significant oil projects such as the Platina Oil Field and the Greater Plutonio developments.

Going forward, with Angola planning to maintain crude oil production at 1.1 million barrels per day until 2027, services by FAMAR PLC will support the development of upcoming projects. The company aims to support transit ships as well as oil and gas trade. During AOG 2024, FAMAR PSC will showcase its services and investment opportunities within the Angolan market.

The AOG 2024 conference takes place in Luanda. For more information, visit www.AngolaOilandGas.com and secure your place at this exciting event.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital&Power.

In an era of transformative development, the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) stands as a beacon of progress in Central Africa, particularly in Cameroon, where the institution has earmarked more than 50 percent of its portfolio for funding transport infrastructure.

The Bank spearheaded crucial projects such as the Ketta-Djoum Road, linking Cameroon to Congo, for which it invested $173 million. It has also contributed to connecting Cameroon to Nigeria by providing $120 million for the construction of the Bamenda-Enugu Road and the Cross River border bridge. The bridge formally opened to traffic in October 2022.

The construction of a bridge over the Logone River, funded to the tune of $115 million, is underway to link northern Cameroon with Chad. In addition, the Bank last year approved $80 million for the construction of a bridge over River Ntem to connect Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.

Establishing transport links between Cameroon and its neighbors, namely Congo, Chad, Nigeria and Gabon, through the construction of cross-border roads and bridges, facilitates regional integration. These projects have generated more than 2.5 million direct jobs, 40 percent of them held by women, enhanced the efficiency of the transport logistics chain along travel corridors, and improved communities’ access to basic services.

Alamine Ousmane Mey, Cameroon’s Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development and the Bank’s Governor for Cameroon, lauded the Bank’s engagement in the country, saying its interventions are “radically changing the face of the region.”

During her recent visit to the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, the Bank Group’s Vice-President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, received accolades from various government officials for the Bank’s transformative contributions.

In Yaoundé, Akin-Olugbade led the inauguration of the Bank Group’s regional office for Central Africa, reaffirming the institution’s commitment to the region’s development course. She also met with Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute, Finance Minister Louis-Paul Motaze, and Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, Minister of Public Works.

Prime Minister Ngute, who presided over the office inauguration event, praised the “true worth” of the Bank’s support for integration projects in Central Africa.

In 2011, the Bank provided $60 million in financial and technical support for the construction of the Lom Pangar and Nachtigal dams. The hydroelectric dam injected 1153 GWh into the interconnected grid in southern Cameroon, providing over 100,000 additional households with access to electricity.

The Bank is the only development institution that continues to operate intensively in Cameroon’s Far North, Northwest and Southwest regions, which have been plagued by security challenges. These regions and the East remain the Bank’s priorities in Cameroon for the next five years.

The Bank’s projects include the:

Cameroon-Chad Power Interconnection Project, with funding totaling $240.86 million.
Territorial Development Project for the Far North Region, with funding amounting to $215.80 million.
Study and Preparation of a Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Programme, funded with $5.72 million.
Ring Road Project, backed by funding totaling $241.60 million.
Lake Chad Basin Regional Road Network Integration Project, funded with $48.80 million.
Program for Integrated Development and Climate Change Adaptation in the Niger Basin, supported by $9 million in funding.

On the sidelines of the regional office inauguration ceremony, the Bank Group signed a €203 million financing agreement with the Cameroon government for the Territorial Development and Private Sector Promotion Project in the Far North Region (https://apo-opa.co/44c6TnI). This project, which will benefit more than four million people, will foster regional development, improve the transport system, and promote private sector growth, with the potential to develop a sustainable and integrated development hub in the Far North Region.

That region serves as a buffer zone between the Sahel and Central Africa and is a veritable sub-regional crossroads between three of the four countries in the Lake Chad Basin (Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad), plagued by crises that are distinct but closely related.

Reflecting on the significance of the partnership, Public Works Minister Djoumessi, hailed the Bank as a crucial ally aligned with Cameroon strategic needs, a sentiment echoed by Finance Minister Motaze, underscoring the transformative impact of the Bank’s initiatives on local communities.

“We aim to be bolder, move faster, and increase the efficacy of our operations in Cameroon because people’s lives are at stake,” said Akin-Olugbade, indicating that the Bank Group could double the country portfolio within the next five years.”

During their engagement, the Bank Vice-President and the government representatives evaluated the Bank’s portfolio for Cameroon, which comprised 26 projects as of 1 April 2024, involving commitments of approximately $2.5 billion. The primary areas of focus are transport (56.5 percent), energy (20.4 percent), and agriculture (10.5 percent).

The Vice-President also held a meeting of the “Big 5”, a platform that coordinates the actions of Cameroon’s principal technical and financial partners, comprising the African Development Bank, the French Development Agency, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union. Their dialogue focused on structural socio-economic reforms and finding ways to improve the effectiveness of investment projects within the country.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Africa’s immense economic potential is being undermined by non-transparent resource-backed loans that complicate debt resolution and compromise countries’ future growth, African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina (www.AfDB.org) said on Thursday.

“I think it’s time for us to have debt transparency accountability and make sure that this whole thing of these opaque natural resource-backed loans actually ends, because it complicates the debt issue and the debt resolution issue,” Adesina told journalist Yinka Adegoke at the Semafor Africa Summit taking place on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank2024 Spring Meetings.

Adesina highlighted the challenges posed by Africa’s ballooning external debt, which reached $824 billion in 2021, with countries dedicating 65% of their GDP to servicing these obligations. He said the continent would pay $74 billion in debt service payments this year alone, a sharp increase from $17 billion in 2010.

While acknowledging the fiscal pressures faced by African nations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, infrastructure needs, and rising inflation, Adesina emphasised the need to address the structural issues in Africa’s debt landscape. He pointed out the shift from concessional financing to more expensive and short-term commercial debt, with Eurobond debt now accounting for 44% of Africa’s total debt, up from 14-17% previously.

He also criticized the “Africa premium” that countries pay when accessing capital markets, despite data showing that Africa’s default rates are lower than those of other regions. He called for an end to this risk perception, which he said leads to higher borrowing costs for African nations.

The African Development Bank head stressed the importance of putting in place an orderly and predictable way of dealing with Africa’s debt, urging for faster implementation of the G20 Common Framework.

He also highlighted the need for increased concessional financing, particularly for low-income countries. “What’s particularly interesting in Africa is that the level of concessional financing itself has actually gone down, has shrunk significantly,” he said, adding that the African Development Fund—the Bank Group’s concessional lending arm to low-income countries—is providing long-term financing at low interest rates to the 37 most vulnerable countries.

Adesina discussed various instruments and initiatives employed by the African Development Bank to de-risk projects and attract institutional investors, such as partial credit guarantees, hybrid capital, and synthetic securitisation.

Looking ahead, Adesina expressed optimism about the opportunities in Africa, particularly in renewable energy, given the continent’s vast solar potential. He also highlighted the Africa Investment Forum, a platform created by the Bank and its partners, that brings together investors from around the world to facilitate large-scale investments in key sectors like infrastructure, digital, and renewable energy.

“Africa is the best investment destination in the world,” Adesina concluded, emphasizing the African Development Bank’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for investments to thrive. 

The Semafor summit session —titled “Rising Global Middle Class: Is Rising Developing Nation Debt a Blessing or a Curse?”—brought together a range of participants for conversations on the increasing debt burden faced by developing countries as borrowing costs have risen.

Other notable participants included Xavier Becerra, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services; Raj Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation; Andrew Steer, President and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund; and Brent Neiman Assistant Secretary for International Finance, U.S. Treasury.  

Shah emphasised the importance of balancing developing countries economic needs with the need for climate action. He said that to assist the South African government in efforts to decommission the country’s coal-fired Komati power station, the Rockefeller Foundation, through the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, had developed a plan that would retrain workers at the plant while also creating new jobs and upgrading transmission infrastructure so that renewable energy could empower local businesses. “It’s an unrealistic conversation to just ask people to shut down their only real source of prosperity and cause job losses,” Shah said.

Neiman addressed the U.S government’s efforts to assist African countries in reducing debt loads. He noted that Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Kenya, had issued almost $5 billion in bonds since the beginning of 2024, at interest rates ranging from 8 to 10 percent. He said this was evidence that emerging economies remain able to tap capital markets. He also cited the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable as instrumental in bringing together creditors and debtors to tackle rising debt burdens in developing countries.

Adesina is in Washington to attend the 2024 International Monetary Fund/World Bank Spring Meetings.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Media Contact:
Olufemi Terry
African Development Bank Group
media@afdb.org

About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 34 African countries with an external office in Japan, the AfDB contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org