By Adedapo Adesanya
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has appointed Mrs Wambui Gichuri as Acting Vice President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development, following the departure of Mrs Jennifer Blanke.
The bank in a statement distributed by the African Press Organization (APO), said the appointment took effect from July 5, 2020.
Mrs Gichiru joined the Abidjan-based regional financer in 2018 as Director, Water Development and Sanitation and oversaw the bank’s water sector program of over $ 4.5 billion covering 44 countries and multinational projects.
The statement reads in part, “Wambui Gichuri supervises two divisions: the Water Development, Coordination and Partnerships, and Water Security and Sanitation divisions, as well as the African Water Facility divisions, a project preparation facility.
“She also leads the development and coordination of the technical program manages the department’s human resources and budget and the development of extensive partnership activities. Her leadership role includes water sector policy dialogue, strategy and business development, and spearheading innovations.
“Before joining the African Development Bank, she worked for the World Bank where she served in various capacities for 20 years, including 17 years in water resources management, supply, sanitation, irrigation and drainage, with vast experience in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.”
Speaking on her appointment, the President of the bank, Mr Akinwumi Adesina said “I am very pleased that Wambui agreed to step into this role as Acting Vice President.”
“The Vice Presidency Complex on Agriculture, Human and Social Development has some of our largest programs and flagship initiatives.
“With her extensive experience, leadership, people management skills, and strong execution capacity, I am confident that she will help strengthen the team and accelerate execution on critical programs and initiatives,” he stated further.
This came after Mrs Jennifer Blanke’s resignation took effect on Saturday, July 4, 2020. Bidding farewell to the organisation, she said, “I am leaving purely for family reasons to rejoin my family in Switzerland, after a very fulfilling time at the bank. I will miss the bank and the excellent team we have built. I will continue to strongly support the bank from wherever I am.
“I thank President Akinwumi Adesina for his strong leadership, guidance, and support which have undoubtedly motivated and helped my team and I to play a key role in the transformation of the bank.
“I feel privileged to have been given an opportunity to contribute to the bank’s agenda for accelerating Africa’s social and economic transformation.”
Modupe Gbadeyanka 
Aduragbemi Omiyale