Mr Christian Adovelande, President of the West African Development Bank (Banque Ouest Africaine de Developpement, BOAD) held a press conference at the BOAD headquarters in Lomé, which was attended by approximately thirty journalists representing both public and private media of WAEMU states (West African Economic and Monetary Union) as well as the international media. Discussions focused on BOAD ambitions for the coming years, as expressed in its Strategic Plan for 2015–2019. These were addressed in relation to two recent events: obtaining an international quality rating and BOAD accreditation as a regional implementation agent of the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
In regards to their ratings, on 15 May and 11 June respectively, the international agencies Moody’s and Fitch had each classified BOAD within the rating category called ‘investment’. In particular, the positive assessment given by both agencies was due to BOAD’s financial performance, with the support which the institution enjoys from all its shareholders, as well as to the quality and stability of its governance.