AfDB hits back at its own gender chief’s claims on lack of diversity

The African Development Bank has taken the rare step of criticizing one of its own directors for “completely misrepresenting” the lender’s progress on appointing women to top leadership positions.

Malado Kaba, AfDB’s director for gender, women and civil society, said at a press conference last month that when it comes to gender equality within the bank, “things are not quite yet where they should be.”

“When you look at top leadership, it remains male. And I think this really calls us to do much more, and to promote more women at the top,” said Kaba, who was formerly Guinea’s first female minister of economy and finance.

That drew a sharp response from the bank after Devex published a story on her comments.

“Unfortunately, and regrettably … Ms Malado Kaba completely misrepresented the African Development Bank and the concerted strides and efforts it has made in promoting and championing gender representation at senior leadership levels at the Bank,” AfDB director for communication and external relations, Solomon Mugera, wrote in a letter to Devex last week.

Devex, which first reported Kaba’s remarks, had cited the bank’s latest organigramme, which shows that three of AfDB’s eight vice presidents are women, along with six of the 15 people in other senior roles listed as reporting to bank President Akinwumi Adesina.

AfDB did not provide a comment prior to publication of the initial story. However, Mugera wrote last week that when permanent appointments as well as senior directors and directors-general are considered, then the bank’s executive leadership — not including President Adesina — is 50% female. By contrast, Mugera said that in 2019 some 83% of AfDB’s executive workforce were men.

Contacted by Devex, Kaba declined to comment on AfDB’s response to her remarks.

“The African Development Bank aims to reach 50/50 gender parity across its workforce in the near future,” Mugera wrote. The overall split is currently 39.5% women, 60.5% men. Mugera wrote that “the President of the Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, is well known and acknowledged as a champion for women equality at the Bank. He has consistently and purposefully ensured that women are identified, mentored, and promoted across the Bank, especially at the senior leadership levels. The results of these bold efforts are obvious.”

Mugera cited other gender equity efforts underway at AfDB, such as the process of becoming certified under the Economic Dividends for Gender Equality program, or EDGE, designed to help achieve gender equality in workplaces.

Since beginning the EDGE process in May 2022, Mugera said AfDB had undertaken “reforms of policies, procedures, and legal instruments, including the revision of staff rules with the introduction of gender-sensitive provisions … and the introduction of several family friendly initiatives including fully paid maternity leave for 20 weeks, and a Presidential Directive on Remote Work.”

“Whether in terms of promoting women into senior leadership positions, achieving gender equality in senior leadership positions, or ensuring 100 percent gender mainstreaming into all its lending operations, the African Development Bank is taking proactive concrete action, and leading by example,” Mugera wrote. “The Bank’s Senior Management led by the President Dr Akinwumi Adesina is and continues to remain strongly committed to a culture and a vision of gender equality.”

Kaba’s comments last month came in response to a question from Devex at a press conference at the Finance in Common summit of public development banks, on whether development banks, even while they champion lending to female-led businesses, need to do more to ensure women are appointed to leadership positions internally.

“I think the question is absolutely interesting and critical,” Kaba told reporters at the summit. “I recently joined the African Development Bank, and that's also the question I asked to my teams. I asked them: How are we faring ourselves, internally? I think that your question actually relates to us not only paying lip service, we need to practice what we preach to others, and especially to the African countries that we aim to support.”

“I recall when I was a finance minister of Guinea — I was the first female, in the 60 years of existence of my country. And you know how it is, also globally, female finance ministers are scarce. We need more of them, because we also know that women can take care of money in a much more conscientious way than our men on the continent. So I think it's absolutely critical that we show the example and that we lead by example. Absolutely.”