EBID was given a new impetus with the strategic and institutional reform of the Bank decided by the Heads of State of ECOWAS. The reform is now completed. Thanks to the streamlining of the Bank's organization with the creation of two sectors, one focusing on the promotion of the public sector and the other on the private sector, we now have the means to fully take advantage of our unique expertise on the region.

EBID presses on with the mission assigned to it by the Heads of State of ECOWAS. It contributes to the economic growth of West Africa by financing the projects and programs of ECOWAS and NEPAD on transport, energy, telecommunications and industry, the fight against poverty, environment and natural resources, among others.

EBID and its staff, along with other ECOWAS entities, is ready and prepared to play its role to create favorable conditions for the emergence of an economically strong West Africa: industrialized, prosperous, well-integrated at the regional level, but also within the global economy in order to take advantage of the opportunities offered by globalization.

My vision for EBID is to make it the first regional investment and development bank of West Africa, a powerful financial institution promoting and financing the public and private sector of the region. EBID is a critical instrument in the fight against poverty and helps create wealth and promote employment with the ultimate aim of furthering the wellbeing of the people of the region.

With this goal in mind, EBID will focus in the upcoming years on the priority sectors of infrastructure, fight against poverty and promotion of the private sector. It will ensure that risk assessment, the modernization of management and the enhancement of the level and quality of its activities will remain a top priority.

I am determined to keep moving forward in the right direction for West Africa and with the help and support of the governments and the peoples of ECOWAS, and with the unrelenting enthusiasm and dedication of my staff at the Bank whose work for the economic development of the region has as its only goal the wellbeing of its people.

Mr Christian ADOVELANDE,
President of EBID.

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