The african development bank: ‘african solutions to african problems’?

This chapter demonstrates how the African Development Bank (AfDB) has been deeply shaped by the history of its continent. Fuelled by a sentiment of independence, the creation of the AfDB was driven by a determination to create a regional bank run by Africans, funded by Africans, and serving African needs. African governments’ desire for autonomy and the quest to break with distorted patterns created by Africa’s colonial past helped position the AfDB as the largest development institution dedicated solely to serve the needs of the continent. This chapter argues that, over the years and-despite significant institutional reform, including the acceptance of non-regional members in its Board from 1982, including the United States and former colonial powers-the AfDB has managed overall to preserve its ‘African identity’.