Africa

AfDB to Resume Ethiopia Work After Security Assurance, Bank Says

FILE — African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina addresses the first Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative West Africa Regional summit at the Sofitel Abidjan Hotel Ivoire in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, April 17, 2019.

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NAIROBI — The African Development Bank, AfDB, on Friday said that all its international staff would return to Ethiopia a month after it withdrew the employees following an assault on staff members by government security forces.

The bank's normal operations in Ethiopia will resume after authorities gave an assurance of security, AfDB said in a statement.

In a meeting between AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed late last month, the Ethiopian leader issued an apology to the bank and assured that its staff will be safe and receive security, the statement said.

The statement added that the Ethiopian government had committed to cooperate on investigations into missing funds that were supposed to have been transferred to the bank.

"In light of the productive meetings between ... Abiy and ... Adesina, and the formal apologies of the government and the firm commitments ... to address the issues related to the incident, the bank will now resume its normal operations in Ethiopia," AfDB said.