HAPPENING: "The AfDB Throne: Five Titans, One Chair …but no one knows how it ends until the fat lady sings, Munzele hour!
HAPPENING: “The AfDB Throne: Five Titans, One Chair
…but no one knows how it ends until the fat lady sings, Munzele hour!
Amb. Anthony Mukwita wrote:
Lusaka-29 May 25
The African Development Bank (AfDB) presidential race is shaping up to be a financial “World Cup,” with five intellectual heavyweights vying for the continent’s top banking job.
Make no mistake: this isn’t just another diplomatic beauty pageant but a high-stakes duel for the soul (and wallet) of Africa’s economic future.
From Dakar to Lusaka, from N’Djamena to Johannesburg, the suspense is thicker than a pot of nshima.
Let’s meet the gladiators.
From Senegal, we have Amadou Hott, a former Minister of Economy and ex-AfDB Vice President. Hott wants Africa to “do more with less” — relying less on begging bowls and more on homegrown cash cows. His ideas are sharp, his résumé sharper.
But wait, hasn’t he already been inside the AfDB kitchen? Why go back to stir the same pot?
Then there’s Swazi Tshabalala of South Africa, the lone lady on the list, and no pushover. She’s the restructuring queen, the iron lady of internal reforms. Swazi wants the AfDB to start thinking like a private equity firm rather than an overgrown NGO.
Impressive? Certainly. But is the continent ready to hand over the keys to a boardroom fixer in stilettos?
Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania brings a desert storm of experience, especially from his time at the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa. He’s got vision and talks a big game about economic sovereignty. But in a race this crowded, vision alone may not cut it. Africa is tired of philosophical TED Talks — we need action.
Abbas Mahamat Tolli of Chad? The digital finance guru. He’s cool-headed and comes with big central bank energy. His risk-pooling ideas are intellectually appetizing. But let’s be honest, if digital dreams could pave roads, Africa would have more highways than data bundles.
Now, allow me to proudly beat the kalindula drum for Zambia’s own Samuel Munzele Maimbo. My man Munzele — or simply “Munzele Magic” as some call him in Lusaka — is the World Bank’s current Vice President.
He’s got both brains and gravitas. He talks trade, not aid. Regulation, not rhetoric. And he’s got heavyweight continental endorsements from SADC and COMESA, meaning half the region is already waving his campaign banner.
Zambia rarely punches at this weight class, and yet here’s Munzele on the brink of clinching Africa’s most powerful economic post — with poise, polish, and a pocketful of practical solutions.
Intra-African trade? Regulatory streamlining? These aren’t just buzzwords to Munzele. They’re battle plans.
HOW THEY VOTE FOR AN AFDB CAPO
Let’s not forget, the election is not won by charm alone. The AfDB uses a weighted voting system requiring 50% of votes from African members and 50% of total votes from all members — including those from beyond the Sahara and even beyond the Atlantic. It’s a diplomatic jigsaw.
But if there’s one candidate who can stitch together the regional math, global trust, and technical know-how, its Zambia’s Munzele according to me myself personally.
So here’s to hoping the ballot boxes have a little Zambian green in them this year. Because if Munzele wins, so does Zambia and Africa, just like the GREAT KALU got us the 2012 AFCON cup.
Let the drums roll, the calculators click — and may the best economist win!
Amb. Anthony Mukwita is a published author and International Relations Analyst.
