African Development Bank Appoints Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery | African Development Bank

The African Development Bank has appointed Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, a Cameroonian national, as Vice President for its Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery complex. The appointment takes effect on 1^st from April 2023.

Akin-Olugbade is an accomplished senior executive with nearly 31 years of experience providing technical, managerial and strategic knowledge and leadership in capital markets, treasury, asset management and product development at the African Development Bank.

Prior to her appointment, she served as acting vice president for the complex and director general of the bank’s Business Development and Delivery Office for the West Africa region.

Akin-Olugbade led the development and implementation of transformative strategies, programs and transactions, positioning the African Development Bank as the ‘Solutions Bank’. Working alongside the largest team of country managers in the institution, she dealt with the full complexities of lending and non-lending activities in middle and low income countries. These include transitional states, as well as innovative and complex cross-border operations.

She overlooks the accelerated delivery of results across the $9 billion West African portfolio, working with governments, the private sector, regional economic communities and non-state actors to achieve significant, life-changing development impact.

The new vice president joined the African Development Bank in 1991 in the Commerce Chamber of the Ministry of Finance as a financial assistant, where she worked until 1993, when she became an investment officer. She held that position from 1993 to 1997, managing the bank’s assets in the international capital markets. She then became Chief Financial Analyst in the Financial Technical Services Division, where she was responsible for client financial solutions across the continent.

Akin-Olugbade was appointed Manager of the bank’s Financial Technical Services Division in 2008 and held that position through 2010. In that role, she oversees new product development, client financial solutions and risk management services. She also led the team that wrote the African Fixed Income and Derivatives Guidebook which was published in 2010.

Akin-Olugbade graduated from the Université Paris-Dauphine in France, where she obtained a master’s degree in applied economics. She also holds a postgraduate degree in management from the Université Panthéon-Sorbonne.

After nearly 20 years, Akin-Olugbade moved to the Operations complex of the African Development Bank and was appointed Country Manager for the Ghana Country Office, a position she held from 2010 to 2016. There she managed a $1 billion portfolio to complex lending and non – lending, delivering impactful and sustainable results. In particular, she led the team that established and funded the historic Accra Pokuase Interchange, the first quadruple interchange in West Africa.

Commenting on her appointment, Akin-Olugbade said: “I am very grateful to the President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, for the trust placed in me through this appointment. I look forward to working under the leadership of Dr. and delivery of quality operations for all beneficiaries in our regional member countries.”

Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina said: “I am delighted to appoint Mrs. Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade as Vice President for the Bank’s Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery complex. She will lead the complex strongly and effectively. Marie-Laure is a seasoned and respected professional and business leader. She has extensive hands-on experience in banking and development. She will ensure that the Bank operates successfully in its regional member states and will oversee the full implementation of all aspects of our regional directors in furtherance of the Bank’s development mandate.”