Léandre Bassolé assumes office as AfDB Central Africa regional chief in Yaoundé

Léandre Bassolé has officially assumed office as Director General of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group’s Regional Office for Development, Integration, and Business Delivery for Central Africa, with headquarters in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Bassolé took up his new role on August 27 and presented his letters of introduction to Oumarou Chinmoun, Secretary General of the Cameroonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representing Minister Lejeune Mbella Mbella. Discussions focused on the Bank’s strategic role in Cameroon’s development and that of the wider Central African sub-region.

“We understand that you are here as a son, as a brother, and as a friend,” Chinmoun told Bassolé, adding that Cameroon appreciates the Bank’s decision to locate the sub-regional headquarters in the country. He commended AfDB’s support in implementing economic and financial programmes amid global financial challenges.

On August 28, Bassolé met with Cameroon’s Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Alamine Ousmane Mey, who serves as the Bank’s Governor for Cameroon. Their talks centred on existing projects and prospects for new commitments under the country’s National Development Strategy 2030.

Mey lauded the partnership, noting that Cameroon currently has 24 active AfDB-funded projects across key sectors. Bassolé pledged to strengthen the Bank’s operational presence and accelerate project delivery in the seven countries under the regional office’s purview: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad.

“The African Development Bank’s strategy is to roll out all our regional operations from Cameroon and make Yaoundé a centre of excellence,” Bassolé said. “Our commitments in the country now amount to about $2.2 billion, with nearly 50 per cent in transport, followed by energy and agriculture.”

As of June 30, 2025, AfDB’s portfolio in Cameroon comprised 24 projects worth $2.2 billion. Across Central Africa, the portfolio covers 130 operations, including 40 regional and multinational projects, valued at over $5 billion.