Donald Kaberuka

President, African Development Bank

Date of Birth: 05/10/1951
Place of Birth: Byumba

As President of the African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka received red-carpet treatment on his visit to China on 3-6 February. A troop of dignitaries turned out to welcome him: China Development Bank Governor Zhou Xiaochuan; People’s Bank of China Deputy Governor Yi Gang, who hosted a meeting of the China-Africa Development Fund; Vice-Premier Wang Qishan, who oversees economic, energy and financial matters; and executives of the China Export-Import Bank. The AfDB President also paid a visit to Shenzhen, the manufacturing centre that has become one of China’s wealthiest cities.

In Beijing, Kaberuka suggested that African countries learn to diversify their exports better, mentioning in particular the range of goods offered by South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. This was also a plea for China to broaden its imports from Africa; where it is not scooping up mineral resources, the Middle Kingdom tends to run a trade surplus with African economies. The AfDB and Britain’s Department for International Development are hosting a seminar in Tunis in March to debate China’s aid and developmental impacts.

Born 1951 in Byumba, Rwanda, Kaberuka studied at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, before moving to Britain to pursue a master’s and doctorate in economics at the University of Glasgow. He worked as a commodities analyst at London investment houses Morgan, Grenfell & Co. and Rayner International, then moved to Côte d’Ivoire as Chief Economist for the Inter-African Coffee Organisation. An appointment as Secretary of State for Finance brought him back to Rwanda and, in 1997, he became Finance Minister. Kaberuka oversaw Rwanda’s economic recovery until 2005, when he was elected to the AfDB presidency.