The Board of Governors of the African Development Bank, while accepting the idea of an independent evaluation of whistleblowers’ accusations against the bank’s president, Akinwunmi Adesina, has determined that such an evaluation will be a review of the report of the Ethics committee, which had cleared the president of any wrongdoing.
The review will be entrusted “to a single person, neutral honest, of high calibre with indisputable experience and a proven international reputation”, the Board said in a release. And the review work must be carried out “within two to four weeks, taking into account the Bank’s electoral calendar”.
The election to the AfDB’s Presidency, for which Adesina is the only candidate to date, is due to take place at the end of August.
The statement says that the “review” of the report of the ethics committee was a decision taken “with the aim of reconciling the different points of view of each governor in the resolution of this case”.
The Board reiterates its confidence in the ethics committee “which has fulfilled its role in this matter”. However, the Bank’s whistle blowing and grievance handling policy “will need to be reviewed within three to six months of the review to ensure that this policy is properly applied and to review it, if necessary, to avoid situations of this nature in the future”.
