AfDB mourns Senegalese Babacar Ndiaye, names auditorium after him

ITRealms:

The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Adesina Akinwumi, has named an auditorium at the headquarters of the bank in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to honour late Babacar Ndiaye, the group’s fifth elected president, reports ITRealms.

Ndiaye, ITRealms gathered was the Bank Group's fifth elected President, who served two terms between 1985 and 1995, and passed away on July 13, 2017 in Senegal.

In an intensely emotional tribute, Adesina said in Abidjan, that Ndiaye who is fondly referred to as AfDB papa and ambassador for Africa’s development, as AfDB icon, a father and mentor to everyone and who emphatically launched the career of the Bank Group's current President.

“He inspired us. In losing him, Africa has lost one of its best sons," he asserted and underlined the personal ties between late Ndiaye and his predecessor, recalling that he knew Ndiaye when he worked for the West Africa Rice Development Association (WADRA), which was then based in Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire.

"Babacar Ndiaye was charismatic, and left an indelible mark on our continent. His legacy is vast, because he always saw the big picture. He was quite simply magnificent," Adesina said, stressin that during the campaign for the AfDB presidency, he naturally went to see him in Dakar.

“He welcomed me warmly. I took the opportunity to tell him about my vision for the High 5s. He agreed right away, and told me, 'That's what Africa needs to transform itself,'" Adesina revealed.
ITRealms recalls that Ndiaye had arrived at the institution in 1965 as part of the first group of African managers, he climbed the organisational ladder to become Division Chief, Director, Vice-President for Finance, and then President in 1985. Babacar Ndiaye was the first AfDB President to be re-elected to a second term of office.

Under his leadership, the pan-African financial institution obtained its first Triple-A rating in 1984.

The former President was the force behind the increase in the Bank's capital in 1987, which jumped from approximately US $6 billion to $23 billion, a 200% increase, after approving the process of opening the Bank's capital to non-African countries. He was also responsible for bringing the Bank into the international financial market.

"Babacar Ndiaye accomplished tremendous things for the AfDB and for Africa. He always advocated for excellence. He made the AfDB a credible and respected institution internationally," stated Donald Kaberuka, former AfDB President (2005-2015), in a message read on his behalf by Victor Oladokun, AfDB Director for Communication and External Relations.

Remmy Nweke/ED, Ops

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VC Ahaneku lauds Prof. Okunna on MassComm facility

DigitalSENSE Campus Pavilion

The Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe Unizik (UNIZIK), Awka, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku, has lauded Prof. Chinyere Stella Okunna and UNIZIK’s Mass Communication Department for transforming the school’s mass communication auditorium into a state-of-the-art facility, reports DigitalSENSE Campus Pavilion.

The project is a brainchild of Prof. Okunna, who is back teaching at the university, and after whom the auditorium is now named.

Declaring open the auditorium penultimate Thursday, Prof. Ahaneku said that whenever they have opportunity that will benefit students, they would not hesitate.

“The Department of Mass Communication started this process as a department, using the resources available to the department and they have keyed into the vision of the current administration.

“I thank the HOD, the departmental team and Prof. Stella Okunna who motivated and stimulated this idea. I’m saying that for us in the university system, we have to provide the necessary facilities for the students to study and the public.

“So, in all, the locations where we have our facilities, whether in the classroom or in the field, we should address such facilities.

He also emphasized that as communicators they identified the auditorium as a very important facility to address and they have refurbished their auditorium so that the students can sit there for exams, lectures, seminars and brainstorm as communicators.

“What they have done today is to lay a good foundation for a good learning environment for the Department of Mass Communication and its students” he said.

While advising the students to maintain the auditorium by keeping it clean at all times, the VC urged the teachers, as the mentors, to continue in the good direction.”

On her part, Prof. Okunna said that she was overwhelmed with the words of the VC, adding that she appreciates him for setting a new standard in the institution.

She said, “I want to appreciate our VC for setting a new standard in the university. I am highly impressed. The HOD of Mass Communication is young and very vibrant and we will always support every good idea she comes up with. The welcome back the department gave me when I came back after my appointment as a commissioner was unprecedented and I will always support this department as much as I can.”

Also expressing her delight at the day’s event, the Head of Department, Dr. Ifeoma Dunu, noted that it was an exceptional day and a dream come true for the department, adding that the auditorium will not only serve the students and the department, but will also attract income to the department. 

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