Letting down Dr. Samuel Maimbo
Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba wrote;
Dr. Samuel Munzele Maimbo, a Zambian National, is the candidate for the position of President of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Dr. Maimbo comes with an extremely rich CV and is currently the Vice President of the World Bank for Budget, Performance Review, and Strategic Planning.
I’ve seen how campaigns for top continental jobs are done. The candidate is usually taken around to members of the electoral college by the Head of State, or by Cabinet Ministers, and or Ambassadors. A well funded small campaign team is formed to also do this job.
See how Kenya is conducting the campaign for Raila Odinga, their candidate for the African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson for the election that will be held in February 2025 to choose the fifth Commission Chair to succeed incumbent Chairperson Moussa Faki.
President William Ruto has taken Raila to regional meetings including international ones such as the UN General Assembly in New York and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing to introduce,a well known candidate in his own right, to Heads of State.
We don’t see the same or similar aggressive approach by government for Dr. Maimbo.
It is clear that we think that Dr. Maimbo will win the seat on his own or by his mere rich credentials or through the video promos we have seen.
I know we have obtained both SADC and COMESA endorsement, but these were done mostly through agenda items. Was Dr. Maimbo even present at this meetings for personal introduction?
The race is on to replace Nigerian Adesina Akinwumi whose term has come to an end.
The elections for a new President will take place during the 2025 Annual Meeting, on 29 May 2025 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Adesina will stand down after his second term ends in August 2025.
It is already a crowded field. Makhtar Diop, managing director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s private sector affiliate, has been touted as a likely candidate and Abbas Mahamat Tolli, the Chadian former governor of the Banque des États de l’Afrique Centrale has confirmed his candidacy.
Managing Director
IFC
Senegal could have two contenders – Hassatou Diop N’Sele, the bank’s current vice-president of finance, could also stand as could Amadou Hott, who was Adesina’s Special Envoy for Green Infrastructure in Africa.
Ms. Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala from South Africa is now the fifth declared candidate for the presidency. Tshabalala, was until now was senior vice-president of the AfDB.
South African Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala, who until now was senior vice-president of the AfDB, has been added to the list of candidates for the presidency of Africa’s premier financial institution.
Officials in Pretoria claim that Lusaka’s candidate to run Africa’s biggest bank was railroaded through the SADC selection process to mute competition of five other prospective candidates from the sub-region.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana justified why it broke ranks with SADC stating that Tshabalala’s candidacy ‘represents continuity’ as well as ‘an opportunity for a capable female leader to take up a key African leadership position.’