ADB hints at change

Less than a week ago, delegates attending the Asian Development Bank’s annual meeting gathered to listen to President Takehiko Nakao’s inaugural address to the bank’s board of governors in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The usual priorities —inclusive and sustainable growth, infrastructure development and partnerships — were there, but the degree of introspection was noteworthy for an institution that prefers to focus on its work rather than engage in internal debate over how that work is done. Aware of Asia-Pacific’s rapidly evolving development landscape, and likely propelled by World Bank President Jim Kim’s ambitious reform agenda, the ADB chief acknowledged the bank needs to “reform itself.”