MOZAMBIQUE – The African Development Bank Group (AfDB), has announced the appointment of Mr. Cesar Augusto Mba Abogo as Country Manager, designated for Mozambique Country Office, effective 16 August 2021.

Mr. Cesar Augusto Mba Abogo, a citizen of Equatorial Guinea, is an Economist and a writer with more than 15 years of experience in natural resource economics, development economics, public policy and international negotiations.

From April 2019 to October 2020, he served as Minister of Finance, Economy and Planning for the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.

He was appointed during challenging times and was mandated with articulating a people-centric strategy for equitable and sustainable economic diversification and was also mandated to conclude negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for the implementation of a Fund-supported program aimed at maintaining macroeconomic and financial stability while improving social protection, fostering economic diversification, strengthening governance and fighting corruption.

He successfully secured over US$280 million for Equatorial Guinea or 130 percent of the country’s quota in the Fund.

As Minister of Finance, he strengthened partnerships at regional and global levels; implemented strategic reforms such as the digitization of tax and financial control administration; restructured all state-owned entities, with the exception of the oil sector; launched a new National Development Strategy – “Equatorial Guinea 2035”, designed to boost Equatorial Guinea development index, meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and fulfill the African Union Agenda 2063.

During his tenure as Finance Minister, Mr. Mba Abogo also overhauled the legal framework for the production of statistics in Equatorial Guinea.

As Finance Minister, Mr. Mba Abogo was Chair of the Board of Governors for the African Development Bank and in this capacity, he chaired the 47th General Assembly of the African Development Bank that took place in Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) in 2019.

Mr. Mba Abogo was also Chair of the Council of Finance Ministers of the Central African Monetary Union, where he led the integration of the two Central African Stock Exchanges into a single one based in Yaoundé (Cameroon), and into a single regulator based in Libreville (Gabon).

Before he was appointed Minister, Mr. Mba Abogo served as Secretary of State in charge of the Monitoring of the National Development Plan of Equatorial Guinea.

During his tenure, he led the implementation of a strategy of genuine public sector engineering, focusing on the setting up of integrated monitoring systems for the National Development Plan of his country.

Between 2009 and 2012, Mr. Mba Abogo was Advisor to the Government of Equatorial Guinea and Director General of Petroleum Economics and in this capacity, he led a team of young economists, creating a comprehensive database and economic model for the oil sector, which improved the Government’s ability to control the costs of oil operations and other economic aspects of the country’s hydrocarbon exploitation.

Before joining the administration of Equatorial Guinea in 2009, he served as Economic and Political Affairs Specialist at the Embassy of the United States of America in Malabo, from 2006-2008. During the same period, he was a lecturer at the National University of Equatorial Guinea, continuing with his experience as a Research Assistant at the Autonomous University of Madrid in African and International Studies.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Mba Abogo said: “It is an honor to join the African Development Bank, an institution led by a person many of us consider Africa’s Optimist-in-Chief, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina. We are currently at historic crossroads in the history of our continent, and I am excited at the prospect of making my contribution to the African Development Bank, our flagship development institution. I look forward to boosting the Bank’s activities in Mozambique, a country with a culture and history that I have been passionate about for decades”.

Cesar holds a Master’s degree in Human Development and Governance, from the Universidad Oberta de Cataluña (Spain), a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Universidad de las Islas Baleares (Spain), and several courses in leadership, economic growth and public policy.

He is currently pursuing a PhD in African and International Studies from Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain.

Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank said: “Mr. Mba Abogo is a seasoned and respected economist, with extensive public sector management experience. Having served in different capacities in the Government of Equatorial Guinea and also as Minister of Finance, Economy and Planning for Equatorial Guinea, he brings strong experience in working with national, international and non-governmental partners. His experience and skills will serve the Bank well in Mozambique.”

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