By: Alhaji Mohamed Wusha-Conteh
His Excellency Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, has told Parliamentarians, the Diplomatic and Consular Community that Sierra Leone is bidding for the Presidency of the African Development Bank. He made this disclosure whilst addressing the state opening of the Third Session of the Fourth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone to declare Government’s determination to continue to make Sierra Leone an indispensable voice in promoting global understanding and cooperation.
President Koroma revealed that his government has taken a decision to forward the nomination of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Samura Kamara as President of the African Development Bank whilst the Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Mr. Joseph Kamara was nominated to the African Union Board on Corruption. He expressed his commitment to ensure the representative of Sierra Leoneans at the highest levels of continental and global governance.
Dr. Samura Kamara is a development economist with a strong foundation in diplomacy, macroeconomic, public finance, central banking and financial sector policy analyses and reforms. Prior to his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Sierra Leone in December 2012, he served as the country’s Minister of Finance and Economic Development; Governor of the Central Bank of Sierra Leone; and Financial Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.
Dr Kamara has also served in the Commonwealth and the International Monetary Fund also has many years of technical and operational experience and partnership with multilateral development agencies, including the IMF, World Bank, African Development Bank, European Commission as well as the UK Department for International Development (DFID-UK). The African Development Bank is a multilateral development finance institution established to contribute to the economic development and social progress of African countries.
The Bank’s mission is to fight poverty and improve living conditions on the continent through promoting the investment of public and private capital in projects and programs that are likely to contribute to the economic and social development of the region. \
The current President of the Bank, Dr. Donald Kaberuka leaves office next year after he would have served his second five-year term, already prospective candidates are jostling to succeed Dr. Kaberuka and economic nationalists in the AfDB who admire Ethiopia’s progress are pushing for its longstanding Finance Minister, Sufian Ahmed, who is also respected in Beijing.
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