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Akinwumi Adesina, Nigeria’s Agriculture Minister was elected as the new President of the African Development Bank (AFDB) on May 28th 2015. He won 58% of the votes, ahead of Chadian Kordje Bedoumra, who secured 32% support, and Cape Verdian Cristina Duarte, who won 10% of the votes. Adesina will succeed AFDB’s current President, Donald Kaberuka, on September 1st 2015. In a statement following the election results, Adesina said:
“I want to assure you that, as president of the Bank, I will be a responsible president,” he said in a speech following his victory…I will be focused and I will work with you to build upon the tremendous work of President Kaberuka.”
The AFDB elected another brilliant president and we wish him the best of luck. For those who are not familiar with Akinwumi Adesina’s background, here are 11 points that highlight this outstanding leader’s career.
1. At the right place, at the right time
Adesina comes from humble beginnings. His father was a farmer who earned 10 US cents per day in Ogun State, Nigeria. Adesina was in the ideal environment to understand the role and impact of small farmers in African economies.
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2. The right man
During his campaign, Adesina stressed on the reason why he was the right man for the AFDB: he has a unique technical background and a deep understanding of the African economic environment.
“I bring to them a tremendous amount of knowledge, global partnerships to help the bank to deepen its partnerships with the World Bank, the IFC and other multilateral institutions including recently the BRICS which is a very important facility to have”, he once said.
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3. A stylish man
In addition to being smart, Adesina is often portrayed as a “smooth-talking man”. His trademark look includes a bow tie and finely trimmed mustache.
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4. A man of responsibilities
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High functions are not new to him. Adesina served as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture for 5 years. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of Policy and Partnerships Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa, a Gates Foundation organization that invests in agriculture in order to reduce poverty and hunger in Africa.
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5. An enemy of corruption
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Adesina is credited for initiating the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme, which is a reform that brought transparency to Nigeria’s fertilizer sector.
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6. The driving force of impactful reforms
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According to the Nigerian government, food production in Nigeria increased by 22 million tons, while food imports dropped by more than a third during Adesina’s tenure.
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7. A distinguished academic
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Adesina earned First Class Honors from the University of Ife, Nigeria. He was the first student to ever receive this distinction. He also graduated from Purdue University with a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics. His thesis won the Outstanding Thesis Award.
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8. A man with great responsibilities
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In 2009, Adesina was appointed in the UN Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. The UN Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group brings together eminent personalities who have shown outstanding leadership in promoting the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.
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9. 2013 Person of the Year
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In 2013, the former minister was awarded the prestigious Person of the Year prize by Forbes Magazine.
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10. Established trust between bankers and farmers
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In 2011, Adesina introduced Nirsal, a facility that played an instrumental role in increasing agricultural lending in Nigeria.
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11. Sparking innovation
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In 2012, Adesina introduced another innovation to Nigeria’s agriculture sector. The minister deployed an e-wallet system that cut off the intermediary between the latest agriculture market information and farmers’ mobile phones. To date, 14 million users subscribed to this service.
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Watch the video of his first speech following the election results
SEE ALSO: Africa Has 29 Billionaires. Guess Who’s Back On The List of Africa’s Richest People?
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