Ghana’s Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has been appointed as the Returning Officer for the African Development Bank (AfDB) Presidential Elections, currently underway as part of the Bank’s 2025 Annual Meetings.
The elections aim to select a successor to Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the 8th elected President of the AfDB, who first assumed office on May 28, 2015, during the Bank’s Annual Meetings in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Five high-profile candidates are in the running for the presidency:
- Mr. Amadou Hott – Senegal
- Dr. Samuel Munzele Maimbo – Zambia
- Dr. Sidi Ould Tah – Mauritania
- Mr. Abbas Mahamat Tolli – Chad
- Ms. Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala – South Africa
As Returning Officer, Dr. Forson is charged with overseeing the integrity and smooth conduct of the voting process in line with Article 5 of the Bank’s electoral rules.
His responsibilities include verifying that the ballot box is empty before each round of voting, confirming the number of ballots cast matches the number of eligible voters, rejecting invalid ballots, and certifying that only valid votes are counted.
Dr. Forson will be supported by the Secretary General, the General Counsel, and a dedicated technical team to ensure the accuracy and transparency of the vote tabulation, per Article 7 of the Bank’s electoral rules.
Dr. Forson’s appointment is widely viewed as a vote of confidence in his professionalism, neutrality, and commitment to good governance across Africa’s financial and political institutions.
This marks another important milestone in Ghana’s growing leadership role within key continental and global financial forums.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Emmanuel Agyabeng
