Why African Development Bank is withdrawing international staff from Ethiopia

The incident

The AfDB Group reported on October 31 2023 that two of its employees had been the victims of illegitimate arrest, physical abuse, and involuntary incarceration by Ethiopian security personnel. According to the group, there was no official explanation for the episode, which resulted in a major diplomatic crisis.

“This is a very serious diplomatic incident, and the African Development Bank has since lodged a formal complaint with the Ethiopian authorities. For their part, the government has formally acknowledged our complaint, recognised the gravity of the incident, and reassured us that all those involved in breaking the law will be thoroughly investigated and brought to justice, ensuring transparency and full accountability,” the AfDB said in a statement.

The Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed intervened, leading to the release of the employees.

“We are pleased that the Prime Minister of Ethiopia immediately acted when he learnt of the incident, ordered the immediate release of the affected staff and promised to order an immediate investigation into the incident,” the AfDB group said.

Withdrawal decision

According to the President of AfDB Akinwumi Adesina, the bank on November 22 2023 sent a delegation to engage with senior Ethiopian authorities and its staff in Addis Ababa to assess the situation.

“The assessment from the Bank's delegation indicates that the situation is still not yet resolved in a satisfactory manner. It also does not provide full confidence that all the African Development Bank’s employees feel safe and secure to carry out their duties and move around the country without fear of harassment,” the AfDB president said.

Despite diplomatic efforts, the AfDB Group on December 20 2023 decided to withdraw all of its international staff from the East African nation.

“The October incident continues to cause much anxiety across the African Development Bank Group and especially among staff at the Ethiopia country office… the Bank’s international staff in Ethiopia will work remotely outside the country,” the Bank said in a statement.

AfDB-Ethiopia relations

While expressing appreciation for the longstanding positive relations with Ethiopia, the AfDB stated that it remains committed to supporting the country's socioeconomic development. However, it emphasized that the incident's full resolution is crucial to maintaining its operations and future presence in Ethiopia.

“The Bank appreciates the excellent relations it has with Ethiopia until this egregious incident, its continued operations and future presence in the country could be negatively affected if the incident is not fully resolved,” Adesina said.

The AfDB's current portfolio in Ethiopia consists of 22 projects valued at $1.24 billion as of September 30, 2023.