Adesina gets another big boost as African Union says it will back his bid for a second term

FORMER agriculture minister Akinwumi Adesina has received further good news today after his recent acquittal by an investigation panel after the African Union (AU) said it would back his bid for a second term as the  African Development Bank (AfDB) president.

In May this year, the US government had sought to get Mr Adesina, removed, asking the AfDB board to suspend him. In a letter written to the bank's board of directors, the US treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, openly rejected the decision of the bank’s ethics committee to clear Mr Adesina of all the allegations brought against him by some whistleblowers.

He added that he was not convinced that the ethics committee did a proper preliminary investigation on allegations of mismanagement against Mr Adesina in line with standard practices in international multilateral financial institutions and the bank’s own rules and procedures. Subsequently, the AfDB board of directors asked an independent panel led by former Irish president Mary Robinson, to investigate Mr Adesina.

Early this week, the independent panel led by Mrs Robinson, said it was satisfied with the findings of a bank probe initiated after an unidentified whistle-blower accused Mr Adesina of handing contracts to acquaintances and appointing relatives to strategic positions. Mrs Robinson was assisted by former Gambian attorney-general Hassan Jallo and ex-South African director of public prosecutions Leonard McCarthy.

In an additional boost for Mr Adesina, the AU has now restated its commitment to support his re-election bid for s second term. Moussa Mahamat, the chairperson of the AU Commission, said the vindication of Mr Adesina by the panel outlined the value of integrity that he personifies.

Mr Mahamat said: “My warmest congratulations to Akinwumi Adesina following the confirmation by internal and external reviews of his leadership and integrity as president of the AfDB Group. I reaffirm our continued steadfast support as he seeks to renew his mandate as the African Union-endorsed candidate."

Mr Adesina is the sole candidate for the bank’s August’s presidential elections. He was first elected AfDB president in 2015.