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Uganda Development Bank (UDB) Managing Director, Dr Patricia Ojangole, has been appointed Chairperson of the Association of African Development Finance Institutions (AADFI).
The announcement came during the 51st Ordinary General Assembly of AADFI held on May 26, 2025, at the Sofitel Hotel Ivoire in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The event also marked AADFI’s 50th anniversary.
Dr Ojangole served as the first Vice Chairperson of AADFI from 2019 until 2025.
Her promotion to Chairperson is historic, as she is the first woman to hold the position since the association began.
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AADFI praised her leadership as a reflection of UDB’s commitment to excellence, inclusion, and transformative development across Africa.
She takes over from Thabo P. Thamane, CEO of Botswana’s Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA), who has chaired the AADFI Board since June 2019.
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In her acceptance speech at the assembly, Dr Ojangole thanked members for the trust placed in her to serve the association and the people of Africa. She challenged AADFI’s 91 member institutions to consider whether they are making Africans prosperous.
“Are we creating enough good jobs to match our population growth? Are we industrialising our economies? What steps are we taking to increase exports, reduce imports and build local value chains?” she asked.
These questions motivated her to accept the Chairperson role. She said her focus will be on building thriving and advanced economies across Africa through strong national development finance institutions (DFIs).
“We will only make real progress if we are willing to try new approaches, face big challenges and move beyond old ways of managing DFIs across Africa,” she added.
The AADFI Board runs the association’s activities and oversees the General Secretariat. It includes a Chairperson, two Vice-Chairmen, five members representing Africa’s sub-regions as defined by the UN Economic Commission for Africa, and a member elected by special and honorary members.
Founded in 1975 under the African Development Bank, AADFI aims to promote cooperation and financing for sustainable development in Africa and to support economic integration in the region.
AADFI is a founding member of the World Federation of Development Financing Institutions, which brings together continental DFI associations globally.
It also belongs to the Global Sustainable Finance Network and holds Observer Status at the World Bank.