Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Vice President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Ms Jennifer Blanke, has announced her resignation from the institution.
The Abidjan based bank in a statement on Wednesday, June 10 said Ms Blanke will step down from her post next month.
The statement quoted Ms Blanke, who joined the bank in 2017, as saying she was leaving “purely for family reasons to rejoin my family in Switzerland”.
This came amid media speculations she planned to resign in response to controversy surrounding the bank’s president, Mr Akinwumi Adesina.
Mr Adesina was accused earlier this year of abuse of office by whistleblowers. He was alleged of corruption and favouritism. The whistleblowers also alleged that under his presidency, the bank’s organisation chart was altered to promote Nigeria to an almost full-fledged region.
An internal investigation cleared him of improper conduct. However, the AfDB board last week said it had authorised an independent review of the report following pressure by the United States for a new probe.
Leaders and regional organisations heads have all rallied behind the embattled AfDB president who is seeking an unopposed reelection in August.
Ms Jennifer Blanke is a renowned American-Swiss development economist, with over 20 years of experience. She was previously the Chief Economist and member of the Executive Committee of the World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland, where she provides global leadership on economic and development issues.
She worked for 14 years at the World Economic Forum, occupying several roles including as Senior Director, Lead Economist and Senior Program Manager.
