The Trade and Development Bank (TDB) launched the Eminent and Distinguished Persons Advisory Panel in 2016 and held its inaugural meeting on the sidelines of the African Union Heads of State Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2017.
The eminent advisory panel is composed of current and former Heads of State, namely, Seychelles President Danny Faure and former President of Zambia Rupiah Banda. Global development leaders were also in attendance, such as Dr. Donald Kaberuka, former president of the African Development Bank (AfDB); Dr Abdalla Hamdok, Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA); Mr.Erastus Mwencha, former Deputy Chairperson of the African Union; and Sindiso Ngwenya, Secretary General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
Their wisdom, strategic perspective and international network will support the promotion and re-positioning of TDB, as well as further growth and transformation with the aim of accelerating regional integration.
The advocacy and networks of the Eminent and Distinguished Persons are also intended to maintain the efforts of TDB to mobilize additional resources through the unlocking of opportunities for new partnerships. Moreover, the panel is tasked with high level targeted advocacy in order to mobilize prospective Member States’ strategic funding partners and institutional investors.
The Seychelles President, who chaired the Eminent Panel Meeting during the AGM in Seychelles, noted that while TDB’s assets currently stood at around USD1.8 billion, the latter has grown over the past years and are further expected to climb towards USD5 billion by December 2017.
The special half-day session of the advisory panel included remarks by former President Rupiah Banda, presentations by different members, and questions from observers.
The aim of the session was to reflect on the emerging corporate strategy and five-year plan of the Bank in the context of current trends and opportunities in global development finance as it related to the panel’s mandate.