Dr. Donald Kaberuka - Reforming the African Union (2017)

Opening Keynote at the Oxford Africa Conference 2017 introduced by Rutendo Chigora and moderated by Prof. Stefan Dercon.

Dr. Donald Kaberuka is former President of the African Development Bank Group and Chairman of the Board of Directors. He stepped down on September 1, 2015 after ten years, and is considered as one of the most transformational leaders at the Bank. During his tenure as President of the African Development Bank, Kaberuka bolstered its franchise value, tripled its capital from USD 30 billion to USD 100 billion, and doubled the bank’s portfolio. He is a former Hauser Leader in Residence within the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School Kaberuka’s leadership was particularly characterized by a “big push” on the private sector and leading from the front on infrastructure. He championed an inclusive growth agenda; promoted a strong link between security, development and the environment, establishing a ring-fenced facility for conflict affected countries; and appointed an International High Level Panel on fragile states led by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia. He put in place an Africa Natural Resource Center and the African Legal Support Facility to provide support to African countries managing natural resource wealth.

Prior to becoming Finance Minister of Rwanda, Kaberuka worked in the private sector in the commodities business, including a term as Chief Economist of the Inter-African Coffee Organization. Dr. Kaberuka also served as Governor for Rwanda for the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank from 1997 to 2005. His private interests include classical music and wildlife conservation. Kaberuka currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum, the Mandela Institute (Minds) and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. He is also a member of several international panels on finance and development.

Kaberuka is an alumnus of the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and has been a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies of Sussex University in England.