Sharm El Sheikh prepares for the annual meetings of the African Development Bank | African Development Bank

After successfully hosting COP27 in November 2022, the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh is preparing for the annual meetings of the African Development Bank Group in May. A preparatory mission to Cairo and Sharm El Sheikh led by the Bank’s Secretary General, Vincent Nmehielle, expressed its satisfaction with the progress made so far in the organization of the meetings, which will be held from 22 to 26 May 2023 held.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt and the current Chairman of the Boards of the African Development Bank Group, Mr. Hassan Abdalla, and Professor Nmehielle met on Tuesday to assess the general state of preparedness for the meetings. Concluding that Sharm El Sheikh has a quality infrastructure and the necessary facilities to host the annual meetings of the banking group, Abdalla and Nmehielle encouraged the National Organizing Committee and the banking team to make every effort to finalize all pending organizational matters to ensure the success of the meetings. .

The governor of the Central Bank of Egypt said: “Hosting the annual meetings of the African Development Bank in Sharm El Sheikh confirms the willingness of the Egyptian leadership to strengthen and deepen cooperation with Africa in all areas, with a special focus on economic cooperation. Through my Egyptian chairmanship of the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank and by overseeing the ongoing preparations with the African Development Bank, I assure that Egypt will make every effort to make this year’s meetings remarkable and memorable.”

The Secretary-General expressed his satisfaction that Sharm El Sheikh is willing to chair the meetings.

“I am pleased with the speed with which the beautification works of the city of Sharm el-Sheikh have been completed since the Bank Group’s first preparatory mission in September 2022,” he said.

The delegation also met with officials from several Egyptian institutions, including the Governor of South Sinai Province, Major General of Staff Khaled Fouda, Staff of the Central Bank of Egypt, along with all ministries involved in organizing the meetings.

The delegation noted that the city’s infrastructure had benefited from the organization of the COP27 summit on climate change last November. The capacity of Sharm El Sheikh airport has doubled from 5 to 10 million passengers per year, while high-speed internet and the introduction of charging stations for electric vehicles have created a first-class infrastructure.

The annual meetings bring together finance ministers from the eighty-one regional and non-regional member countries of the Bank Group. The event is also attended by central bank governors, key private sector leaders, academics and development partners.

Up to 4,000 participants are expected for the 2023 annual meetings at the Sharm El Sheikh International Conference Centre.