Tunis - Jalloul Ayed is Tunisia's official candidate for President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Minister in charge of Monitoring of Economic Affairs Nidhal Ouerfelli announced Tuesday in Kasbah.
Jalloul Ayadi was received on Tuesday by Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa to review the main lines of the campaign that will be conducted with African countries to back Ayed's nomination.
He told TAP as part of his campaign he "plans to visit African countries in order to share his vision for Africa on a broader scale."
"I would be accompanied during these visits by official high-level delegations (ministers, secretaries of state and ambassadors), he said, noting that, eight candidates have, so far, announced their intention to run for this position.
The former Minister of Finance said he is confident he will be elected, especially as he represents Tunisia "a country that has earned the respect and wonder of all countries in the continent and even across the world."
According to him "the achievements made so far in the country, such as the successful organisation of transparent elections, have earned Tunisia respect and admiration."
"Tunisia is also praised for its cooperation with the AfDB administration to secure the bank's return to Abidjan under the best conditions," he further said.
"Mr. Ayed is a well-known personality in the field of finance in Tunisia and especially in the Arab world," Mr. Ouerfelli said for his part.
AfDB's next elections will be held in 2015 after the planned departure of the seventh president, Donald Kaberuka, who currently serves a second 5-year term.
AfDB is the first development finance institution in Africa. Established in 1964, it focuses particularly on the fight against poverty and promotes sustainable growth.
From 1967 to December 2013, the Bank Group has provided its member countries funding of about $ 104 billion (US $ 1 = 1.8 TD) .
© Tunis-Afrique Presse 2014
