AfDB President Adesina: Rule of Law is Africa’s Key to Growth and Global Trust

The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has called on Africa’s legal community to strengthen the rule of law as a foundation for sustainable economic development. Addressing more than 1,200 lawyers, judges, and government officials at the Kenya Law Society’s 2025 Annual Conference in Diani, Kenya, Adesina emphasized that judicial independence and transparency are critical to attracting investment, protecting national assets, and ensuring inclusive growth.

Delivering the closing keynote titled Public Finance, Governance, Justice and Development, Adesina declared: “When Africa stands for the rule of law, the world will stand with Africa. Justice is not a byproduct of development — it is the foundation of development.”

Rule of Law as an Economic Driver

Africa faces an estimated $100 billion annual gap in foreign direct investment (FDI). Adesina warned that this shortfall is worsened by weak rule-of-law rankings, governance challenges, and predatory “vulture fund” practices, where speculators buy distressed national debt cheaply and then sue debtor nations in weak jurisdictions for inflated returns.

He stressed that FDI flows are heavily influenced by:

• Political stability and transparency.

• Low levels of corruption and strong regulatory frameworks.

• Independent and transparent judicial systems.

• Respect for intellectual property rights and competition policies.

“Evidence shows that capital goes where the rule of law is strong and predictable,” Adesina said.

Justice and Development: A Converging Path

Adesina highlighted that access to justice must be universal for development to succeed. This requires:

• Legal aid systems to serve vulnerable citizens.

• Digitised court systems for efficiency and accessibility.

• Grievance mechanisms to resolve disputes swiftly and fairly.

He linked governance and justice directly to economic progress, noting: “Justice and development are not parallel paths; they are converging tracks toward inclusive growth.”

A Call to Action for Africa’s Legal Community

Adesina urged Africa’s lawyers, judges, and arbitrators to rise as “guardians of promise and stewards of destiny”, enforcing constitutional safeguards on public finance and protecting national resources. His recommendations included:

• Strengthening judicial independence and transparency to boost investor confidence.

• Reforming natural resource laws to ensure community benefits rather than elite capture.

• Establishing sovereign wealth funds to protect future generations.

• Developing African arbitration systems to resolve disputes locally, reducing reliance on external jurisdictions.

• Championing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles across legal and financial frameworks.

He also urged Kenya Law Society members to lead in digitising courts, modernising legal infrastructure, and preventing predatory debt practices.

Solutions Already in Motion

The AfDB has been active in supporting reforms across Africa to improve governance, finance, and justice:

• In Rwanda and Côte d’Ivoire, the Bank’s support for commercial court systems has halved dispute resolution times, unlocking over $1 billion in investment.

• In Seychelles, constitutional reforms backed by the Bank now require all sovereign borrowing to receive parliamentary approval, reducing the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio from above 100% to below 55%.

• In Kenya, AfDB-supported procurement reforms and debt transparency measures, including parliamentary oversight, are safeguarding public funds.

The Role of Africa’s Lawyers

The three-day conference, which focused on corporate governance, constitutionalism, responsible public finance, and digital justice systems, concluded with a call for lawyers and judges to play a more proactive role in safeguarding Africa’s economic future.

Kenya’s Chief Justice Martha Koome, Law Society President Faith Odhiambo, Mombasa County Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, and AfDB East Africa Director General Alex Mubiru were among the key figures present.

Known as Africa’s “Optimist-in-Chief,” Adesina closed with a powerful appeal: “Let us make a choice that history will record, and generations will remember. As lawyers, justices, and guardians of the law, I urge you to uphold the rule of law, to execute justice with fairness and righteousness.”