African Development Bank Country Director for Zambia Dr. Freddie Kwesiga has died.

Dr Kwesiga who has been in Zambia for many years died in a Nairobi Hospital after a surgery to remove kidney stones.

Dr Kwesiga will be remembered for many ADB projects he pushed for Zambia.

He was recently working on the development of Mpulungu Harbour and Railway line to join TAZARA to Mpulungu.

Rwanda and Burundi have invested massively in their harbours but Zambia is yet to upgrade its Mpulungu harbour to make trade in the Great Lakes meaningful.

The ADB has also financed huge water and sanitation projects by giving financing and loans to water companies.

The ADB have also been instrumental in developing the Nacala Corridor with the developments of roads and rail linking Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania to the port of Nacala

Dr Kwesiga is a Rwandese national.

Meanwhile, Minister of Finance has released the statement below

COMMISERATION ON THE PASSING OF Dr. FREDDIE KWESIGA – AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK [AfDB] RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE TO ZAMBIA

Monday, 2nd February, 2015. The Ministry of Finance wishes to express its deepest sorrow on the passing of Dr. Freddie Kwesiga, who was the African Development Bank’s Resident Representative to Zambia, after what we learnt was a very short illness in Nairobi where he had travelled for medical treatment.

During the six years of service in Zambia, Dr. Kwesiga has been instrumental in leading the Bank’s contribution to supporting the Government’s development agenda which extensively covered support to agriculture, infrastructure, energy and other poverty reducing initiatives.

Dr. Kwesiga made it his personal ambition to contribute to the transformation of lives, especially for the poor and marginalized, through the African Development Bank by supporting and facilitating processes that empower them with resources, knowledge, skills, voice and confidence. He has also been instrumental in mitigating the negative effects of poverty, food and fuel insecurity caused by environmental degradation through projects such as the climate resilience project in the river basins of Western Province and in Itezhi-Tezhi in Central Province.

It is during Dr. Kwesiga’s tour of duty that Zambia was reclassified as a blend country being able to borrow both African Development Fund (concessional) and African Development Bank (non-concessional) resources. This has increased the Bank’s resource availability to Zambia.

We have as a Ministry enjoyed a very warm working relationship with Dr. Kwesiga. We found him to be a very dedicated, practical and frank person. The Government of Zambia will miss his services and commitment to the African Development Bank and through the Bank, his contributions to the welfare of the People of Zambia.

May I, on behalf of the people and Government of Zambia, extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, and the President and staff of the Bank on the loss of this gallant and diligent citizen of Africa. He was indeed a rare breed.

Alexander B. Chikwanda, MP

Governor of The AfDB Board &

MINISTER OF FINANCE