In a firm call to action at the close of the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) 2025 Annual Meetings, World Bank President Ajay Banga urged Africa’s development partners to move beyond goodwill and symbolism toward delivering concrete, measurable outcomes that transform lives across the continent.

Addressing a high-level audience of over 6,000 delegates, Banga emphasized that while relationships among institutions are important, they must be translated into focused, results-driven collaboration. His remarks came as part of a tribute to the outgoing AfDB President, who ends his decade-long tenure in August.

“Our friendship mattered, but friendship alone is not a strategy,” Banga asserted, emphasizing that what we need to show is real progress, real results, real opportunities.

Banga cited the Mission 300 initiative, a joint effort by the World Bank and AfDB, as a flagship example of what can be achieved when development institutions work in sync with purpose and scale.

“It’s a demonstration of what is possible when multilateral development banks work like a system,” he said. “Impact must be our currency: jobs created, lives improved, opportunities unlocked.”

The 2025 AfDB Meetings, themed “Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development,” provided a platform for critical conversations about mobilizing domestic and international financing, fostering private sector investment, and designing inclusive growth models.

Banga also pointed to the importance of private capital in driving long-term change. He noted that Africa’s transformation hinges on scalable partnerships anchored in accountability.

The event also marked a key leadership transition at the AfDB, with Sidi Ould Tah, former Mauritanian Finance Minister and outgoing President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, elected as the next AfDB President. Banga welcomed Tah’s appointment, expressing confidence in renewed momentum for inter-institutional collaboration.

“The Bank will grow stronger because our work is far from done, and we are united in our shared purpose,” he concluded.

As the continent faces urgent challenges from energy deficits to youth unemployment, leaders echoed a common theme: partnerships must now go beyond pledges and deliver outcomes that redefine Africa’s future.