African Trade Unionists under the auspices of the Industriall Global Union want the Africa Union to urgently take a position that will sustain independence and integrity of the African Development Bank-AfDB.
Vice President, IndustriALL Global Union, Comrade Issa Aremu who made this known at a press briefing in Kaduna, however commended African leaders including President Muhammadu Buhari and former President Obasanjo as well as other leaders within the continent who have stood up for the Bank’s independence.
Comrade Aremu wondered why the United States of America was still insisting on a further probe, despite the clean bill of health given to President of the Bank, Mr Adesina, by the Bank’s Board of Directors led by a Japanese National.
He regretted that distraction from America was targeted at top Management Staff of the Bank, in particular, Mr Adesina, in spite of endorsement for a second term by notable African shareholders made up of all the Heads of State and Governments of ECOWAS Region.
Comrade Aremu who is also the General Secretary, National Garment and Textile Union of Nigeria maintained that the United States would not allow an African country to subscribe to shares of the North American Development Bank, not to talk of questioning outcomes of its internal rules and regulations.
The Labour leader confirmed that under the current Bank leadership, it had mobilized and allocated resources for investment and offered policy advice and technical assistance to support development effort in Africa.
He noted that through the Africa Investment Forum, the AfDB in 2018 and 2019 attracted more than $80 billion in infrastructure investment that refocused the African perspective from Aid Dependency to Domestic Investment.
Comrade Aremu was also of the view that notwithstanding resistance from abroad especially the United States, the Bank spearheaded an increase of its shareholder General Capital from 93 billion dollars to 208 billion dollars.
He stressed that these and many more value addition, Adesina and his team had brought to bear on the development of the African continent must be embraced and sustained.
The Comrade added that Africans should ensure the sanctity of the tested rules, laws, procedures and governance systems of the bank against the provocative attack of the United States.