Government offered the land for the construction of the office.
The Prime Minister, Head of Government Chief Dr Jospeh Dion Ngute has inaugurated the central Africa regional office of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), accompanied by Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, the Bank Group’s Vice-President for the Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Complex. Located in the high-end Golf neighbourhood, the six-storey regional office building is equipped with 130 workstations, several meeting rooms, and a clinic was commissioned on April 12, 2024, almost five years after Cameroon and the AfDB signed the headquarters agreement in July 2019.
“This inauguration demonstrates the strength of the relationship between Central Africa and the African Development Bank”, the Prime Minister said. Adding that the regional office “will enable the Bank to get closer to the realities of our sub-region and to provide more than in the past a specific support in line with the expectations of our populations”.
This AfDB regional office adds to the five others across Africa. It will serve seven countries: Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Chad. Its opening aligns with the AfDB’s strategy to strengthen its presence and enhance the efficiency of its operations within Central Africa, the bank said.
“The new regional base for Central Africa underscores the African Development Bank Group’s dedication to strengthening cooperation with bilateral and multilateral development partners to enhance the effectiveness of development initiatives and promote sustainable growth across the region,” the institution added.
AfDB’s Central Africa portfolio comprises 121 operations valued at $6 billion. It has approved roughly 600 operations across the region, totalling $18 billion. Between 2019 and 2024, the Bank approved 20 regional operations, totalling $824.41 million, for Central Africa. AfDB began transactions with Cameroon in 1972.
Jude VIBAN
