Thamane re- elected AADFI Chairman
CEDA’s Chief Executive, Thabo Thamane has been elected for the second term as Chairman of Association of African Development Finance Institutions ( AADFI) at a recent General Assembly of members.
As the Chairman of AADFI, he is also the Chairman of the World Federation of Development Financing Institutions ( WFDFI). The WFDFI is the global body for development finance institutions, comprising members of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific ( ADFIAP); The Latin American Association of Development Financing Institutions ( ALIDE); the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Member Countries of the Islamic Development Bank ( ADFIMI); the European Long Term Investors Association ( ELTI), Europe.
According to a press statement on CEDA website, Thamane has made a lot of strides since he was first elected in June 2019. “Upon his election in 2019, he realized that for the Association to serve its members effectively and efficiently, there was need to re- engineer the Secretariat which implement the decisions of the Association. Thus, despite the disruptions caused by COVID- 19 pandemic, Mr. Thamane ensured that the operations of the Association were sustained,” said the statement. Under Thamane, there has been an enhanced engagement with stakeholders since, “he has engaged more frequently with the African Development Bank, and other Multilateral Development Banks with a view to improving support to Development Finance Institutions, particularly the national development financing institutions in Africa. As a result, the traditional relationship with the African Development Bank ( AfDB) became more robust. The Bank partnered with the Association in the conduct of its activities, in addition to extending support to some AADFI members.” The AADFI was admitted as a member of the Making Finance Work for Africa ( MFW4A) Partnership following Thamane’s engagement
to expand opportunities for DFIs in Africa in mobilizing resources for development. “The admission of the AADFI as a non- paying member of the MFW4A Partnership was to strengthen the efforts of AADFI members, particularly the national DFIs, in collaborating with members of the MFW4A Partnership in the areas of resource mobilization and financing of the SDGs and Paris Agreement projects in Africa,” said a statement.
AADFI is an umbrella organization for development finance institutions in Africa, created under the auspices of the African Development Bank in 1975. The objectives of the Association are to stimulate co- operation for the promotion and financing of sustainable development in Africa and to encourage the process of economic integration in the African region. AADFI has over 80- member institutions made up of National, Regional, and Multilateral development finance institutions in Africa, and from other continents engaged in development finance activities in Africa.