By Makereta Komai, PACNEWS Editor in Samarkand, Uzbekistan
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is undertaking sweeping internal reforms aimed at improving how it responds to the evolving needs of its member countries.
Central to these changes is the adoption of the Strategic Resources Framework — the first of its kind in 15 years — designed to boost institutional efficiency and strengthen workforce performance.
ADB President Masato Kanda, who has signalled his interest in serving another term, says people remain the institution’s most critical asset.
“ADB’s approach to people management has evolved from an administrative support function to a strategic enabler of development effectiveness,” Kanda said, referencing the framework released in January.
Speaking during a one-on-one ADB Insights interview in Samarkand Tuesday, he said the bank is undergoing “massive institutional change” to better serve its members and clients.
“We have adopted many policies, but without motivated staff to implement them, they will not succeed,” he said.
The Strategic Resources Framework focuses on fairness, transparency and merit, while strengthening staff morale and capacity.
Kanda highlighted two key reform priorities — staff mobility and decentralisation.
On mobility, he said ADB is working to break down traditional silos across sectors and regions.
“I want to break down old barriers and compartments, allowing staff to move across sectors and countries — from private to public sector — so they gain broader experience and support members in a more integrated way,” he said.
At the same time, ADB is accelerating decentralisation by shifting more authority to its field offices.
“I am radically empowering country directors on the ground, giving them greater authority over approvals, human resource management and technical assistance funds,” Kanda said.
He described the changes as “quite dramatic”, noting that more staff are being deployed from headquarters to the field to be closer to member countries.
ADB has also expanded its footprint, opening new offices in the Pacific and beyond, including in Solomon Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Lao PDR, Georgia and Uzbekistan.
The reforms come as ADB’s operations grow in scale and complexity. Staff numbers have risen from around 2,600 in 2009 to about 4,300 in 2025 — stretching systems originally designed for a much smaller institution.
The bank is also navigating a rapidly changing operating environment shaped by digital transformation, workforce expectations, and advances in artificial intelligence.
According to the Strategic Resources Framework report, these shifts “exceed the assumptions underpinning earlier approaches to people management.”
In a separate but significant reform, ADB amended its Charter — the Articles of Agreement — in March this year, enabling a 50 percent increase in annual lending capacity to more than US$36 billion.
The move is expected to expand support for developing member countries without requiring immediate capital increases, and to strengthen financing for climate action, poverty reduction and private sector development.
The amendment marks the first major change to ADB’s charter since the bank was established in 1966.
