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Finance and Economic Development Minister Cde Patrick Chinamasa speaks to the media after presenting the AfDB presidency candidate Mr Thomas Sakala to Acting President Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa in Harare yesterday. — (Picture by Munyaradzi Chamalimba)

Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
Aspiring African Development Bank president Mr Thomas Zondo Sakala yesterday paid a courtesy call on Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa and pledged to use his knowledge of the sadc region and Zimbabwe to ensure that their developmental agendas succeed.

Mr Sakala is a Zimbabwean and has been nominated as the sadc region’s candidate for the elections expected on May 28 to replace Mr Donald Kaberuka whose term expires in May this year. He has served the AfDB for 31 years and was vice president in charge of operations before he resigned to contest the bank’s presidency.

“All our countries need great access to electricity, we need great access to water, we need great access to modern means of communication and we need great access to opening up opportunities so that each and every citizen can realise their full potential and these are the areas that the bank works along with the member states themselves.

“Each country has its own priorities and Zimbabwe has Zim-Asset and we will be looking at how best we can assist the Zimbabwean Government (and) the Zimbabwean people to realise the full potential of Zim-Asset,” he said.

Mr Sakala said he would also pursue the goals of the bank to improve the lives of the generality of the continent’s population.

“We always have to go back to the mission of the bank, which is intended to help the regional member states of the bank in their development efforts in order to bring about development and improve the lives of the African people.

“So, as a region from that perspective, we have our expectations of how the bank can help us in our own development efforts and of course being somebody from the region who fully understands and is also aware of the key challenges that face our region, I think it will be a golden opportunity to bring in the efforts of the resources of the AfDB to the sadc region,” Mr Sakala said.

He also thanked President Mugabe and the Government for the support they have given him.

“This was an opportunity to pay a courtesy call on the Acting President and to also express my gratitude to the people, His Excellency and the Government of Zimbabwe for the support they have bestowed on me. First of all I needed their support before the name had been submitted to the sadc Secretariat for the process, which we went through in order to finally identify a sadc candidate.

“So it is really important to start from the base and say thank you and also get advice on what we need to do as we go forward,” he said.

Meanwhile, Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa, said he would travel to Cote d’Ivoire next month for the short-listing of candidates and pledged that Government would lobby and support Mr Sakala in his efforts to lead the bank.