By Onu Okorie
President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), Dr. George Agyekum Donkor, has declared that Africa no longer needs more vision statements but “velocity in execution” to unlock the continent’s vast economic potentials and accelerate sustainable development.
Donkor made the remarks while receiving the Distinguished African Development Finance Leadership Award for Regional Integration and Economic Transformation at the 16th African Business Leadership Awards (ABLA) 2026 held at the House of Lords in London, United Kingdom.
The award, presented by the African Leadership Organisation (UK) and the Editorial Board of African Leadership Magazine, recognised his leadership in expanding EBID’s development financing and advancing regional economic integration across West Africa.
Addressing policymakers, financiers and development partners at the event, Donkor stressed that Africa’s economic transformation depends on its collective ability to finance strategic infrastructure, strengthen regional integration, support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and build competitive regional value chains.
He said the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) would depend on deliberate investments in industrial infrastructure, digital systems and regional production networks, while calling for stronger coordination among governments, development finance institutions and private investors to eliminate trade barriers and improve the continent’s global competitiveness.
Highlighting EBID’s impact under his leadership, Donkor noted that the bank has deployed about $1 billion to regional energy infrastructure projects, committed more than $1.1 billion to SME financing and invested nearly $450 million in agriculture and agro-processing value chains.
He added that the bank has also provided additional financing for transport, energy and telecommunications interconnection projects designed to strengthen regional trade corridors across West Africa.