AFDB Group PresidentAkinwumi A. Adesina pictured with President Sahle Work Zewde on 29 Oct 2023 at the World Food Prize Dialogue in Des Moines, Iowa, two days before the detention and physical assault of two staff members of the Bank’s Ethiopia office. Local media reports indicated that one of the victims were Dr. Abdul Kamara, AfDB’s Deputy Director General for East Africa, and Ethiopia office Country Manager, leading to a decision by the Bank to allegedly suspend its office operations in Addis Abeba. However, despite several e-mail correspondences with Addis Standard, the Bank neither confirmed, nor denied the names of the victims involved. In August this year, AfDB has awarded grant funding totaling $84.3 million to Ethiopia to advance wheat production and increase farmers’ incomes. In September, the Bank’s Board of Directors has granted approval for a $104 million funding package to support a transmission project in eastern Ethiopia.

Source: Ethiopian News November 16, 2023 16:42 UTC