Ivory Coast: African Development Bank appoints Yacine Fal as Special Representative to AIF

African Development Bank Group President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has appointed Yacine Fal as his Special Representative to the Africa Investment Forum.

The Africa Investment Forum, initiated in 2018, aims to harness the combined resources of its co-founders to address the infrastructure investment gap in the continent. The founding partners include the African Development Bank Group, Africa50, Afreximbank, the Africa Finance Corporation, the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the European Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the Trade and Development Bank.

In her new role, Fal will strengthen strategic engagements with the original AIF partners, broaden involvement from new partners, and assist the President in outreach efforts for the AIF. Reporting directly to African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, she will collaborate closely with AIF’s Senior Director, Chinelo Ahonu, and the AIF Coordination Group led by the president.

As the Special Representative, Fal will undertake advisory, coordination, and collaboration responsibilities, manage partnerships, build strategic alliances, and oversee reporting and evaluation duties.

Fal, a Senegalese citizen, brings over 20 years of experience in the banking, legal, and procurement fields to her new role. She has held various positions at the African Development Bank Group, the last beingActing Vice President of Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery.  She has also served as Principal Legal Counsel, Manager of the reform implementation team, Officer in Charge of the Procurement and Fiduciary Services Department, Manager of the Procurement Services Division, Resident Representative of the Bank’s Morocco Office, Deputy Director General of the North Africa Business Development and Service Delivery Office, and Director General of the Cabinet Office of the President.

Fal holds a Master of Law degree from the University of Dakar and a postgraduate degree in International Law from the University of Paris X.

Regarding her appointment, Ms. Fal said, “I am greatly honoured by the confidence of President Adesina in appointing me into this new role as his special representative. As the African Development Bank leads efforts to mobilise greater private sector financing for Africa, the Africa Investment Forum has become the premier project investment marketplace in Africa. I will use my knowledge and experience of the Bank and its partners to support the Bank and its ecosystem in ensuring greater effectiveness and impact of this excellent platform for Africa.”

Dr. Adesina stated, “As the African Development Bank seeks to expand the Africa Investment Forum partnerships to include several multilateral development banks, as part of its overall efforts to use the Africa Investment Forum to mobilize greater private sector financing for Africa, it has become critical to boost global, national and regional partnerships and improve overall coordination, delivery, effectiveness and impact. As Special Representative of the President on the Africa Investment Forum, Fal will play a strategic role in this effort given her extensive knowledge of the African Development Bank Group, the multilateral development banks, private sector, project finance and project management.”