As a proactive, pan-African organization in the likeness of Power of Africa, our vision for the continent is an all encompassing one. It is a vision that would see Africa step out of the old into the new. One that would bring about a socioeconomic transformation for most of our peoples using our natural resources and homegrown expertise. That beautiful, blissful and bright future for Africa is what we have our gazes set on.
On this quest, we often readily identify with a few certain individuals who are turning the tides and bringing about the much desired change one step at a time, in their concern and passion for most African affairs. Having shown great commitment to Africa's development over the years, their actions and efforts towards this course have been nothing short of legendary. It is for this reason that we dedicate this piece to celebrating the enduring legacies and ideals of this "African banker of all bankers" as we like to call him, who has a big dream for an industrial revolution to happen in Africa particularly in the agricultural sector. The man, Akinwumi Adesina, is that man blazing this trail.
Born 6 Feb 1960, Akinwumi Adesina is a Nigerian development economist and agricultural development expert, currently serving as the president of the Africa Development Bank (AfDB). He was elected as the president in 2015 and re-elected for a second term in 2020. He is the first Nigerian to hold the position.
Born 6 Feb 1960, Akinwumi Adesina is a Nigerian development economist and agricultural development expert, currently serving as the president of the Africa Development Bank (AfDB). He was elected as the president in 2015 and re-elected for a second term in 2020. He is the first Nigerian to hold the position.
Dr. Adesina with members of the Nigerian Governors' Forum
Before taking over the reins at AfDB, Adesina had previously served as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development between 2010 – 2015. During his tenure, he was credited with introducing an innovative electronic wallet system, to provide farmers with subsidized farm inputs at scale using their mobile phones. This electronic wallet system reached 15 million farmers in 4 years and has gone on to be implemented in several other African countries.
He led financing initiatives to support youth engagement in agriculture and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and successfully attracted private sector investments in Agriculture in excess of $5.6 billion. It was a rosy time for Nigerian farmers as food production expanded by an additional 21 million metric tonnes.
He led financing initiatives to support youth engagement in agriculture and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and successfully attracted private sector investments in Agriculture in excess of $5.6 billion. It was a rosy time for Nigerian farmers as food production expanded by an additional 21 million metric tonnes.
Until his appointment as Minister in 2010, he was Vice President of Policy and Partnerships for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), where he led several bold and innovative policy and finance initiatives that leveraged over $4 billion in Bank finance commitments to Africa’s agriculture sector.
Being born to a Nigerian farmer in Ibadan, Oyo state, southwest Nigeria meant that Adesina had to attend a village school. He eventually bagged a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics with First Class Honors from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Nigeria in 1981. He was the first student to be awarded this distinction by the university.
He went onto Purdue University, where he got his Masters (1985) and PhD in Agricultural Economics (1988), finishing with an Outstanding PhD Thesis recognition for his research work.
Being born to a Nigerian farmer in Ibadan, Oyo state, southwest Nigeria meant that Adesina had to attend a village school. He eventually bagged a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics with First Class Honors from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Nigeria in 1981. He was the first student to be awarded this distinction by the university.
He went onto Purdue University, where he got his Masters (1985) and PhD in Agricultural Economics (1988), finishing with an Outstanding PhD Thesis recognition for his research work.
At the launching of his authorized biography "Against All Odds" written by Leon Hesser
In 2010, Adesina was appointed by the then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as one of 17 global leaders to spearhead the Millennium Development Goals. In September 2016 again, Ki-moon appointed Adesina to serve as a member of the Lead Group of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement.
On October 31, 2019, Dr. Adesina led the AfDB to achieve its highest capital increase since the bank’s establishment in 1964, when shareholders raised the general capital of the bank by 125%. This increased the bank’s capital by $115 billion, from $93 billion to $208 billion, a historic achievement for Africa.
Adesina was named the African of the Year by the All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA™) on December 6, 2019, in recognition of his innovative contributions to the Africa Investment Forum, which opened up the continent to billions of dollars in investment.
Adesina was named Forbes African Person of the Year in 2013 and 2019 respectively. Also in 2015, he was cited as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by the New African magazine.
Akinwumi Adesina's resume, for what it's worth, is a
On October 31, 2019, Dr. Adesina led the AfDB to achieve its highest capital increase since the bank’s establishment in 1964, when shareholders raised the general capital of the bank by 125%. This increased the bank’s capital by $115 billion, from $93 billion to $208 billion, a historic achievement for Africa.
Adesina was named the African of the Year by the All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA™) on December 6, 2019, in recognition of his innovative contributions to the Africa Investment Forum, which opened up the continent to billions of dollars in investment.
Adesina was named Forbes African Person of the Year in 2013 and 2019 respectively. Also in 2015, he was cited as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by the New African magazine.
Akinwumi Adesina's resume, for what it's worth, is a