Former Liberian Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan has presented his letters of credence as African Development Bank Group’s new country manager in Uganda.

Speaking when he presented his credentials to Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa recently in the Capital Kampala, Mr. Ngafuan said the Bank considered Uganda a significant partner in its development drive.

He said the African Development Bank is currently funding a portfolio in Uganda comprising twenty-four projects worth approximately 1.87 billion United States Dollars.

Welcoming Mr. Ngafuan at the foreign ministry, Minister Kutesa expressed optimism that the new country manager’s appointment would further strengthen the good relations between Uganda and the African Development Bank.

The minister said the Ugandan government was highly appreciative of the African Development Bank’s support for projects in Uganda, especially those in infrastructure.

A statement on the Bank Website said the African Development Bank and the Ugandan Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development are soon to agree on a three-year lending program for Uganda. The program will target new projects during the 2021-2023 lending window.

The Bank is also preparing a completion report on Uganda’s Country Strategy Paper (2017-2021). At the same time, it is developing the successor Country Strategy Paper (2022-2026), which will be aligned with the Uganda Vision 2040 economic transformation agenda. Country strategy papers assess a country’s development prospects and challenges, as well as a government’s strategic options.

The new country manager revealed that the African Development Bank would soon sign new financing agreements with the Ugandan government. One of these, he explained, would be a financing agreement for $229 million for the Kampala-Jinja Expressway Project. He expressed the Bank’s appreciation for the Ugandan Cabinet’s recent approval of the Bank’s $33 million COVID-19 Crisis Response Support package, and said he looked forward to the ratification of the budget support by the Uganda Parliament.

Ngafuan said he was honored to be accredited as the African Development Bank’s country manager to Uganda and promised to build on the good work of his predecessors. He assured his host that he would further strengthen the Bank’s strong partnership with Uganda with the goal of positively impacting development outcomes for the people of Uganda.

Foreign Minister Kutesa wished the new country manager a fruitful tour of duty in Uganda.