Nigerian President to Commission New African Development Bank Abuja Office

The Nigeria Country Department (RDNG) office complex, owned by the African Development Bank (AFDB) will be commissioned by Nigeria’s President Buhari on Thursday, January 18, 2018. The complex has a built-up area of 4,200m2 and is situated within the Central Business District of Abuja in close proximity to the NEXIM Bank. It is the first permanent structure to be designed and constructed in any regional member country of the Bank.

While the headquarters of the AfDB will remain in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, the opening of this office may serve as a catalyst for the AfDB’s decentralisation efforts that are centred around localizing and enhancing the capacity of its regional offices.

The land for construction was made available by the Federal Government following AFDB’s Board of Directors’ approval of a “Rent or Acquire Premises for Field Offices” policy and later recommendation to construct a new office in Nigeria. Commenting on the development AFDB’s Senior Director, Ebrima Faal said:

“The Bank is highly committed to working with the private and public sectors to implement the High 5s agenda and meet the Sustainable Development Goals’ targets in Nigeria and across the continent.”

The 220-staff capacity four-storey building will now become a model for replication in other countries.

Lebanese Project managers SEEDS® were engaged to consult on the project by Apave Liban & AIM Consultants who represented the interests of the bank as their client. Construction work started in January 2016 and lasted 16 months.

Nigeria, with a portfolio of approximately US $6 billion in-country operations, accounts for 13% of the African Bank’s total portfolio as it aspires to be among the top 20 economies in the world by the year 2020. The African Development Bank Group was established on September 10, 1964 and commenced operations in Nigeria in 1971.