Egypt will host the African Development Bank Group's (AFDB) annual meeting in the Egyptian Red Sea city of Sharm El Sheikh on 22-26 May 2023, the Central Bank of Egypt's (CBE) announced on Wednesday. AFDB Group preparatory mission chaired by the Group's Secretary General; Vincent Nmehielle has pleased with the significant progress achieved so far with regard to preparations for the organization of these meetings. "Hosting the Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank in Sharm El-Sheikh confirms the keenness of the Egyptian leadership to strengthen and deepen the cooperation with Africa across all fields," said CBE's governor, Hassan Abdallah. For his side, Nmehielle added "I am happy with the speed and scale of developments and achievements in El Sheikh have been accomplished since the first preparatory mission to the Bank Group in September 2022." The delegation also met officials from various Egyptian institutions, including the Governor of South Sinai Province, Major General Khaled Fouda, staff of the Central Bank of Egypt, along with all the Ministries involved in the organization of the Annual Meetings. The statement mentioned the capacity of Sharm el-Sheikh airport has doubled from five to 10 million passengers per year, while high-speed Internet and the introduction of charging stations for electric vehicles have created a first-class infrastructure. The annual meeting bring together Ministers of Finance from the Bank Group's eighty-one regional and non-regional member countries. The event is also attended by Governors of Central Banks, key private sector leaders, academics and development partners. In total some 4,000 participants are expected to attend the 2023 Annual Meetings at the Sharm El Sheikh International Conference Center.
