Nigeria’s minister of agriculture and rural development who is vying for the presidency of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has said his experience would work in his favour in clinching the coveted post.

This is even as President Goodluck Jonathan implored African leaders to abide by their agreement to present one candidate for the position of the AfDB, noting that some ECOWAS countries were fond of flouting agreements reached as many important decisions have not been upheld in the region.

Jonathan stated this in his farewell address at the 47th meeting of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held at the International Conference Centre, Accra, Ghana.

At the summit, Jonathan lamented that while it was agreed by African leaders that only one candidate would be presented for the president of the AfDB, there are now four candidates from the sub-region.

He said, “At our last session in Abuja, it was resolved, after due deliberations, that the ECOWAS should adopt a single candidate for the post of the President of the African Development Bank.”

In a one-on-one session, where prospective candidates of the continent’s premier multilateral financial institution share their strategic visions, priorities and agendas for the bank, Adesina stated that his vision is based on continuing decentralisation and increasing support for private initiatives.Contending with seven others from the continent he feels that his experience in transforming the agriculture sector in Nigeria as well as his first experience working and operating in various African countries will keep him in good stead. Of the eight contenders vying for the presidency, five of them are currently serving as ministers, one a former minister and a development banking specialist.

They all possess the credentials required to lead Africa’s most prominent development institution.

Having overseen Ethiopia’s strong growth into one of Africa’s leading economies, the country’s finance minister, Sufian Ahmed, believes the AfDB will be safe in his experienced hands. The former minister of finance of Tunisia, Jaloul Ayed, asserts that his banking experience has allowed him to gain a clear understanding of Africa’s full potential.

He calls for an AfDB that is closer to its markets. Chad’s minister of finance and budget, Kordjé Bedoumra, states that following his previous tenure at the AfDB, he has the experience and expertise to improve the operational efficiency of the bank as well as to shape its short and long term policies.

The only female candidate in the race is minister of finance and planning, Cabo Verde, Cristina Duarte. She says that whatever improvements need to be made, the AfDB can never forget its mission – that is to serve Africa and its people.

With his broad experience in a number of financial institutions Samura M. W. Kamara, Sierra Leone’s minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation believes that he is the right person to ensure the AfDB works for Africa.

The former AfDB vice president, Zimbabwe’s Thomas Z. Sakala, has plenty of experience working at the AfDB, and believes he is well suited to keep the Bank’s programmes and strategies on the right track.

And last but not least, Birama Boubacar Sidibé, the Malian Vice President of the Islamic Bank of Development says that with his wealth of experience in African development institutions, he intends to make the AfDB more efficient in its decentralised organisation and expand its business operations.