afrol News, 5 January - It is now clear that China has got the position it surely wants in Africa, where countries are rushing to strike deals with the country. China goes further to cement excellent relations with key African institutions, which is why it has been bestowed the mandate to host the 2007 Annual General Meeting of the African Development Bank Group (ADB).

Scheduled from 16 and 17 May, the meeting takes place in Shanghai city.

"China is one of the 24 non-regional members of the Bank and only the second to host the annual meetings after Spain in 2001," ADB said in a statement yesterday.

The 42nd annual meetings of the board of governors of the African Development Bank and the 33rd Meetings of the Board of the African Development Fund are being held after a major Sino-African Summit in Beijing in November 2006.

According to ADB officials, the annual meeting is a platform that gives opportunity to highlight and further explore growing economic relations between Africa and Asia.

"The annual meetings will be the most important gathering of the continent's senior finance and development policymakers and experts. Each year, the event brings together about 1,500 private and public sector managers, including Finance Ministers of the Bank Group's 77 member countries."

Preparations for the auspicious meeting in Shanghai have been underway since last year. ADB Group delegation led by the institution's Secretary General, Modibo Toure, undertook a mission to China to examine the conference facilities accommodation and transport arrangements, IT and communications infrastructure, media coverage needs, as well as protocol, health and security issues.

"One of the key innovations of the 2007 Annual Meetings is the emphasis on reflections on development, through a series of seminars and workshops on major African development issues," the ADB statement concluded.

By staff writer

© afrol News

Related pages and feature

Current afrol News Top Stories