They Liked the AfDB Report in Tunis, but will it Play in Washington?

Dennis de Tray and I launched the latest CGD report for new leaders of international agencies on September 7th in Tunis, the current headquarters of the African Development Bank. "Building Africa's Development Bank: Six recommendations for the AfDB and its shareholders" reports the main findings of the AfDB Working Group which CGD convened this spring and summer.The report provides strategic advice to the Bank as it tries to complete its rebuilding process. (The Bank nearly collapsed in the mid-1990s, but is now financially sound. The task now is to rebuild operational credibility.) Together with working group member Papa Ndiaye, we presented the report to AfDB president Donald Kaberuka and his management team, to the board of directors, and at a public forum which drew 150 people, mostly Bank staff.The recommendations are, we think, quite bold, and they affect every one of the Bank's stakeholders: management, staff, the board, shareholders, and especially African countries. So we were pleasantly surprised at how warmly the report was received, even by those who disagreed with parts. All parties seemed eager to vigorously debate the future of the Bank­­­­--an excellent sign in itself. As President Kaberuka, who this month will complete his first year in office, moves forward with his reform efforts, we hope that the CGD working group report will prove to be a useful input.Couldn't join us in Tunis? We will present the working group's recommendations this Thursday at CGD with special guest commentary from Willene Johnson, Callisto Madavo, and Jeannine B. Scott. Please join us.