H.E. Muhammadu Buhari Receives President of EBID
The newly appointed President of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), Dr. George Agyekum Nana Donkor, paid a courtesy call on His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari at Aso Villa Abuja, on Tuesday, 3rd March 2020. Dr. Donkor was accompanied by the former President, Mr. Bashir Mamman Ifo. The EBID delegation which included some officers of the Bank was received in the presence of the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama and the Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed.
The new President of EBID had gone to express his gratitude to the Government of Nigeria for the country’s support to the Bank where it has about 38% of the shares among the fifteen (15) Member States comprising Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’lvoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The Bank is committed to financing development projects and programs in the West Africa sub-region in the areas of energy, infrastructure, health, transport, telecommunication, social services, technology, education, among others.
With regard to Nigeria, during the visit to President Buhari, Dr. Donkor pledged the Bank’s support to the Government’s development agenda and noted the focus on economic stability, infrastructure development, promotion of industrialization and pledged the Bank’s support to them.
Centre: His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, Left Next to His Excellency Buhari: Hon. Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed; Hon. Minister of foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama; EBID Staff, Matilda Uwakue. Right Next to His Excellency Buhari: Former President of EBID, Mr. Bashir Ifo; New President of EBID, Dr. George Donkor; Director Risk Management Department EBID, Mr. Anthony Ehimare; EBID Staff, Ogechi Ogan-Ekandem
His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari responded by congratulating Dr. Donkor on his appointment and stated that the Government of Nigeria based its programme on economic revival, fighting corruption, food security and self-sufficiency in food production. He remarked that the good level of rainfall experienced this year would boost production. He also informed the EBID delegation that the Federal Government had closed its borders with the Republic of Benin and Niger Republic as a measure to check the smuggling of imported rice and small arms into Nigeria. He concluded by wishing the Bank success in its support to the economies of ECOWAS Member States.
