African Governments Urge State-Owned Enterprises to Become Growth Engines, AfDB’s Adesina Says
Former AfDB president Akinwumi Adesina called on African governments to treat state‑owned enterprises (SOEs) as engines of growth rather than mere public assets.
In Brief
- •Former AfDB president Akinwumi Adesina called on African governments to treat state‑owned enterprises (SOEs) as engines of growth rather than mere public assets.
- •He stressed the need for stronger corporate governance, clear performance expectations, and accountability mechanisms for SOEs.
- •Adesina urged that public investment should be coupled with reforms and that private investors be enabled to participate in SOEs.
- •He proposed a Public Service Delivery Index to measure service quality and citizen satisfaction in public‑service SOEs.
Why It Matters
The remarks highlight a key challenge for African economies: ensuring that state‑owned firms contribute to economic development, generate sustainable returns, and deliver efficient services. By reframing SOEs as growth engines, governments could unlock capital, improve governance, and broaden citizen participation in national wealth, potentially boosting productivity and public trust. Adesina’s emphasis on accountability and measurable outcomes signals a shift toward more transparent and commercially viable public enterprises, which could attract private investment and improve service delivery across critical sectors.
Key Details
- Speaker
- Akinwumi Adesina
- Organization
- African Development Bank
- Event
- Conference of chairpersons and CEOs of publicly supported companies in Tanzania
- Publication Date
- 2026-10-11
Context & Background
State-owned enterprises are common in African economies, but their performance and contribution to growth vary widely.
Original Reporting & Sources
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