Talks about elections are rife in many places on the African continent, and the latest is coming from the African Development Bank (AfDB), a multilateral development finance institution established to contribute to the economic development and social progress of African countries. In May, the tenure of its current president, Dr Donald Kaberuka will be coming to an end after a sterling two-term service, and there are already contenders for this top job.

The Steering Committee of the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank met recently at the Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan and produced the final list of accepted candidates who will stand a chance of being elected. These exceptional Africans, totaling eight in number, include; Akinwumi Adesina (Nigeria), Sufian Ahmed (Ethiopia), Jaloul Ayed (Tunisia), Kordjé Bedoumra (Chad), Cristina Duarte (Cabo Verde), Samura Kamara (Sierra Leone), Thomas Sakala (Zimbabwe), Birama Sidibe (Mali).

The Presidency of the AfDB is a critical office for the bank and the continent that has been heavily supported by the multilateral institution. The President leads the bank, serves as the legal representative of the bank and Chairs the Board of Directors, who are responsible for electing the President into a five-year term, renewable once.

Dr Donald Kaberuka, a national of Rwanda, has served two terms since September 2005. He has been accredited with successfully improving the bank’s profile as a leading development institution, introducing procurement reforms and boosting transparency, thereby laying a solid foundation for his successor.

The election of the new president is expected to take place during the bank’s 50th annual meetings slated to hold as from May 25th to 29th, 2015 according to the “Rules of Procedure Governing the Election of the President of the African Development Bank” (Article 1).

According to the timetable approved by the bank’s Board of Directors, each candidate shall submit a written statement detailing their vision for the bank by 20th March and, a little over two months later, on 27th May 2015, each candidate shall dialogue with the Board. The next day, the Board shall vote in the next President of the AfDB.

By Emmanuel Iruobe