The Vice-President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), Marie Laure Akin Olugbade, has arrived in South Sudan on a two-day official visit.
Speaking to reporters upon arrival in Juba, Marie Laure said she would visit some camps for returnees and refugees in the country to assess their humanitarian situations.
During her visit, the AfDB VP is expected to hold high-level discussions with South Sudanese leaders on what the institution considers fruitful identification of opportunities to deepen collaboration.
“I am aware of the significant development the country is making but also some of the challenges that it is currently facing, especially on the humanitarian front,” she said.
“I will have an opportunity with the UNHCR to visit some places and see how we can do more to support the government and implement the government’s requests to the African Development Fund to do more in terms of displacement of people as a result of the conflict in the neighbouring country,” she added.
Benjamin Ayali Konyongwa, Undersecretary for Planning at the National Ministry of Finance and Planning said,“ We are delighted today to welcome the Vice President of the African Development Bank to South Sudan. We have been engaging with the bank for quite some time.”
He said AfDB has been a long-time partner to the South Sudan Government.
“She will be visiting some sites where they are supporting refugees and the host communities in Upper Nile State and around Juba,” Ayali said.
He said the visiting AfDB official will meet some senior government officials to discuss areas of collaboration and support.
The African Development Bank (AfDB), headquartered in Côte d’Ivoire, is an international entity established in Africa during the 1960s with the objective of supporting the economic development and social progress of countries in Africa by promoting investment of public and private capital in projects and programmes that aim to reduce poverty and improve living conditions.
AfDB’s strategy for 2013–2022 focuses on two objectives: improving the quality of Africa’s growth; and the transition to green growth.