The World Bank has called for more impact-driven partnerships to address Africa’s development challenges.

This call is part of a broader push for more collaborative and outcome-focused development efforts, recognising that global challenges like climate change, health pandemics, and economic instability require a concerted effort from various stakeholders.

The World Bank president, Ajay Banga, in a statement by the African Development Bank, said that friendship alone was not sufficient to meet Africa’s development needs.

Mr Banga spoke while giving a tribute to AfDB resident Akinwumi Adesina during the closing of the Bank’s 2025 Annual Meetings in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The tribute coincided with Mr Adesina’s final Annual Meeting as president, ahead of the completion of his 10-year tenure at the end of August.

Reflecting on their institutional and personal rapport, Mr Banga credited his early engagement with Mr Adesina as the basis for a renewed partnership between the two banks.

He, however, said that deeper cooperation must be guided by shared purpose and measurable outcomes.

“I think our personal relationship, which started when I came to visit you when I was just a candidate for the job. Helped to lay the groundwork for a renewed and stronger partnership between our two institutions. But friendship alone is not a strategy, and we both knew that,” he said.

Mr Banga identified the Mission 300 initiative as a key example of strategic alignment.

“The initiative, launched jointly by the World Bank and AfDB, aims to provide electricity access to 300 million people across Africa.

“It’s a shared ambition to bring energy to 300 million people in Africa, a demonstration of what is possible when the multilateral development banks work like a system,” he said.

According to the World Bank president, the real impact will depend on achieving tangible results, attracting private sector investment, and creating jobs that lift the quality of life on the continent.

“We have made real progress in a short time, but the eyes of the world are upon us. What we need to show is real progress, real results, real opportunities,” said Mr Banga.

The AfDB’s shareholders elected former Mauritanian finance minister Sidi Ould Tah as Mr Adesina’s successor. Mr Tah most recently served for a decade as president of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa.

Mr Banga expressed confidence in the AfDB’s future under Mr Tah’s leadership and reaffirmed the World Bank’s commitment to working closely with the AfDB.

(NAN)