President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone has added his voice to calls for a major boost in funding for the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) at the IDA Summit in Nairobi on Monday.
Bio’s comments came as African heads of state gathered in Kenya to lobby for a significant injection of capital into IDA, the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries.
He is one of 16 African leaders particpoating in the three day Summit taking place at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi and has expressed optimism that an ambitious IDA21 replenishment under the capable stewardship of the World Bank Group can support the African leaders
“For IDA to remain relevant to the evolving needs of its Member Countries, especially in Africa, it must grow and adopt responsive and innovative mechanisms to finance transformational development,” Bio stated.
“Collectively, we are optimistic for an ambitious #IDA21 to support our vision for a climate-smart, resilient, and integrated Africa under the capable stewardship of the World Bank Group.”
The three-day IDA Summit offers a pivotal platform for the African leaders to make their unified case to global donors ahead of replenishment negotiations expected in late 2024.
African Heads of State attending the Summit are: Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Samia Suluhu (Tanzania), Évariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi), Nana Akufo-Addo (Ghana), Lazarus Chakwera (Malawi), Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister of Guinea Amadou Oury Barh, Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire Robert Beugré Mambé, President of the World Bank Group Ajay Banga, Faustin-Archange Touadéra (Central African Republic), Prime Minister of Algeria Nadir Larbaoui, Julius Maada Wonie (Sierra Leone), Azali Assoumani (Comoros), Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (Mauritania), Andry Rajoelina (Madagascar) and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (Somalia).
The Summit brings together African governments, civil society, and youth to voice their ambitions and call for even greater support from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) to translate visions into action on the continent.
