'CREATE JOBS AND INCREASE THE WEALTH FOR OURSELVES

IN THE RUNNING FOR ONE OF THE BIGGEST JOBS ON THE CONTINENT, SENEGAL'S AMADOU HOTT

- Renuka Methil

Is NO STRANGER TO PUBLIC LIFE. AS A FORMER MINISTER OF ECONOMY, PLANNING AND COOPERATION IN HIS HOME COUNTRY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (AFDB) AND CORPORATE CEO, HE HOPES TO USE ALL OF THOSE EXPERIENCES TO MAXIMIZE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPACT ON THE CONTINENT. EXCERPTS FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH FORBES AFRICA IN MARCH:

Q. Having been a part of the AfDB, there is continuity attached to the President’s role you're seeking. How has this journey been?

A. These are exciting times for Africa, and I feel it’s really the right time for me to step in, and following my 25 years of leadership experience across continents, in both public and private sectors, with the multilateral development banks, and having actually started and managed Senegal’s sovereign wealth fund-which is now one of the most credible sovereign funds on the continent-and having been in investment banking, mobilizing resources and capital for both the public and the private sectors, I feel I’m well-equipped now to really serve by leading this bank and supporting Africa, especially in this environment, where the needs are bigger than ever before. The young people are impatient to see their lives transformed. But, also at a time when geopolitics [has seen] the aid budget globally going down, we need a bank that is very innovative, that can really do more with less, but leverage and have a bigger impact than before...

I am confident that once elected, I will be able to take the AfDB to the next level. The bank has done greatly for the last 60 years; each president has done something unique. Specifically, during the last 10 years [under President Akinwumi Adesina], we've seen big innovations, projects and initiatives. And I think we can build on that, to really accelerate whatever we are doing for Africa’s development.