African Development Bank VP resigns, says unrelated to whistleblower probe

The African Development Bank’s vice president for agriculture, human and social development, Jennifer Blanke, will step down from her post next month, the bank said on Wednesday. A statement quoted Blanke, who joined the bank in 2017, as saying she was leaving “purely for family reasons to rejoin my family in Switzerland”, amid media speculation she planned to resign in response to controversy surrounding bank president Akinwumi Adesina.

Adesina was accused earlier this year of abuse of office by a bank whistleblower. An internal investigation cleared him of improper conduct, but the bank’s board said last week it had authorised an independent review of the report following pressure by the United States for a new probe.