Ghana will host the 2022 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group from 23 to 27 May in its capital, Accra. This year’s meetings mark a return to face-to-face sessions after the videoconferencing meetings of the past two years. They will be held in a hybrid format with participants present in Accra and online.

Face-to-face sessions, including statutory meetings of Bank Governors and knowledge-sharing events, will take place at the Accra International Conference Centre.

The theme of the 2022 Annual Meetings is “Fostering Climate Resilience and a Just Energy Transition for Africa”. The meetings will allow Bank Governors to share their views on the challenges of climate change and the energy transition facing their countries. They are also an opportunity to present the policy responses proposed to address these challenges.

The governors, representing the 54 African countries and the 27 non-regional member countries of the institution, will have a high-level dialogue with the President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina, and his team.

Discussions will focus on how to stimulate climate adaptation funding and related issues. Climate finance currently accounts for only 10% of global climate finance. Only about 19% of total international financing for adaptation goes to Africa, with the continent receiving only 3% of global climate-related financial flows.

This year’s theme aligns with preparations for the United Nations Climate Conference (COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2022. It will highlight the need for Africa to increase investment and other forms of financing to accelerate climate adaptation efforts.

The 2022 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group will be the 57th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Bank Group and the 48th Annual Meeting of the African Development Fund, the Bank Group’s concessional financing window.

The Ghanaian National Assembly will remain closed for a period of three weeks following a Covid-19 outbreak that affected MPs and staff. The sessions are therefore suspended until further notice.

Ghana’s bicameral parliament has decided to suspend its sessions because of the health crisis that has affected several MPs. “I have decided, in consultation with political leaders, that the session of the Assembly will be adjourned for three weeks,” said President Alban Bagbin on Tuesday. A decision made to allow “disinfection and sanitation of premises”.

At least 17 parliamentarians and 151 National Assembly staff members were tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Dozens of cases were initially discovered. This forced parliamentarians to reduce their meetings to two sessions per week.

Yet Ghana has taken some pretty drastic measures to stop the spread of the virus. Indeed, gatherings (funerals, weddings and parties) are prohibited throughout the territory. The country’s land and sea borders have been closed to human trafficking since March 2020. Access to beaches, nightclubs and cinemas was also prohibited.

However, the schools reopened in January after a 10-month closure. President Nana Akufo-Addo warned in early February that a return to stricter measures was needed.

73,003 confirmed cases of Covid-19, including 482 deaths, have occurred since the outbreak of the pandemic in Ghana

This Monday, December 07, 2020, Ghanaians marched in front of the polling stations to sacrifice their civic duty. A presidential election in which outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party faced off against former President John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress.

Ghanaians turned out in large numbers on Monday to elect their President. Outgoing head of state Nana Akufo-Addo faced his lifelong rival, former President John Mahama. “I have been voting here since 1992 and as always, everything is going smoothly and calmly,” said John Mahama, 62, congratulated after his vote. “I am fine, and I am very happy with how the day went,” Nana Akufo-Addo told reporters before adding: “We will strengthen the commitments we have made for our democratic institutions.”

However, at midday, a case of violence was reported by the police and Codeo (a coalition of local observers). Guys in a black Land Cruiser reportedly shot at the cars of two members of the National Democratic Congress, candidate John Dramani Mahama’s party, in Kasoa. Four people, including a journalist, were injured. The attackers fled and are wanted by the police.

However, last Friday the outgoing President and his rival even signed a peace pact to urge their supporters to avoid violence. Thursday evening, Nana Akufo-Addo addressed the nation one last time to prevent any hint of violence.
Nearly 40,000 local and international observers were deployed throughout the country to ensure the smooth running of the ballot. Security forces are deployed on the ground and police cars are moving from office to office.
If Nana Akufo-Addo is doing with a rather positive economic, diplomatic and social record, with the creation of free high schools and better access to education for all, youth unemployment, lack of infrastructure , and access to healthcare remain issues in this campaign.