ADB on the road: Empowering People, Energizing Futures

Perfect dramaturgy. A spectacular Pre-roadshow in Germany followed the arrival of a well-coordinated, high-level Team from various directorates of ADB HQ in Metro Manila. The overarching goal and main motivation for all the mobile show units was for Germany to catch up in financial terms with other ADB partner countries, such as the United Kingdom and EU members. Highlighting new opportunities for the private sector to access markets at the Asia pacific.

Dinner invitations in both Hamburg and Berlin, an afternoon session on energy transformation and investments, and a well-attended major event at the BMZ, which aims to supplement its shrinking development budget with private funding. Many companies and consultants attended the Roadshow. The results still need to be negotiated in smaller circles.

A critical open question remains for the observer: to what extent do the broader public—the people in the upcoming “investment”-countries, benefit from this increased cooperation with Germany. What long-term and forward-looking benefits can be derived from new alliances in international development cooperation (IDC)?

Certainly different. Consultants like 4sing, with its strength in Foresight to Strategy, would support processes through forward-looking multi-stakeholder dialogues—such as those related to the energy transition and local transformation, which affects many countries and regions, particularly their poorer population. Valuable also, co-creation and joint learning in economic, environmental, and social contexts, especially in Asia in this rapidly changing world. Another specific area of collaboration could be cooperation in the fields of AI and energy, where 4sing is a pioneer in new qualitative and quantitative approaches.