ADB Promises Sustained Assistance to Boost Cameroon's Socio-Economic Development

The Executive Director for the Central African Group (Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo) at the African Development Bank (ADB), André W. Nzapayeke, has promised the bank's sustained assistance to Cameroon in its drive towards emergence by 2035. The ADB's official made the promise last Friday August 31 during an over 45-minute audience granted him and his delegation by Cameroon's Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi.

"The bank is fully behind the country in its Growth and Employment Strategy Paper with particular focus on infrastructure and the private sector. Only the private sector can create jobs and so wealth for the youth. Cameroon is one of the most influential members and founder of the African Development Bank. The bank is supporting development projects in many sectors in the country, (energy, roads and others)," Mr Nzapayeke said.

He also disclosed that there will be an annual meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Tokyo in the weeks ahead and that as usual, it will be an occasion for the Governors of the two institutions to meet, exchange views and also to seek for new financing opportunities for countries. "This is an opportunity not to miss. Also, the African Development Bank will organise discussions on the return of the headquarters of the bank to Côte d'Ivoire. This will be an important topic and it will be essential for the minister to be there because he is one of the influential ministers in the Central African Group at the board. The Minister is my direct supervisor as well as boss, so, it's a duty for me to come from time to time to report to him and to listen to him because as an Executive Director, I can only work according to directives of the local authorities," he noted.