“When Africa stands for the rule of law, the world will stand with Africa,” the President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has told more than 1,200 lawyers, judges, and government officials attending the Kenya Law Society’s 2025 Annual Conference.

Delivering the closing keynote, title Public Finance, Governance, Justice and Development, Dr. Adesina drew a clear link between judicial independence, sound public finance, and sustainable economic growth. He stressed that Africa’s true wealth lies not only in its natural resources but also in its ability to govern them transparently, enforce contracts fairly, and ensure justice for all citizens.

Turning challenges into opportunities

Africa faces a $100 billion annual gap in foreign direct investment, he noted, a situation compounded by weak rule of law rankings, debt vulnerabilities, and predatory “vulture fund” cases. These involve investors buying national debt at a discount on secondary markets, then exploiting weak legal systems to sue debtor nations for full repayment — plus backdated interest and legal fees.

“Evidence suggests that foreign direct investments move more to countries that have political stability, stable democracies, transparency, and low levels of corruption,” Adesina said during the conference held at Kenya’s coastal town of Diani, some 35 kilometres south of Mombasa.

Other key drivers, he added, include an independent and transparent judiciary, strong regulatory frameworks, public accountability, efficient public service, competition policy, and respect for intellectual property rights.

He also underlined the vital connection between justice and development, arguing that access to justice must be universal. This means legal aid, digitised courts, and grievance mechanisms that bring the law closer to citizens.

※ Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina is the laureate of the 3rd Sunhak Peace Prize.

If you would like to learn more about his achievements in promoting peace, please click the link below for detailed information.

→ http://sunhakpeaceprize.org/kr/laureates/laureates_view.php?idx=71