NAIROBI, KENYA (1 June 2015) — The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) welcomes the election of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina as the next President of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Dr. Adesina led AGRA’s policy and partnerships team and was one of the founding leaders of the institution in 2006. In this role, Dr. Adesina helped farmers and agro-dealers in Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania access over US$100 million in credit through the use of innovative financing instruments, and worked with these governments to achieve their Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program (CAADP) targets.
Dr. Adesina went on to become the Minister of Agriculture in Nigeria in 2011 where he has been credited for implementing a range of measures dedicated to transforming the Nigerian agriculture sector, many undertaken in partnership with AGRA.
AGRA Board Chair, Strive Masiyiwa, congratulated Dr. Adesina on his election and said, “Akinwumi is a great champion of African agriculture and has shown how the right mix of rigor, innovation and passion – both at AGRA and in Nigeria as Minister of Agriculture – can generate growth and opportunity for millions of smallholder farmers.”
AGRA President, and former Minister of Agriculture of Rwanda, Dr. Agnes Kalibata welcoming the election of Dr. Adesina, said, “Akinwumi and I have worked closely together over the years. I have admired his passion to help the cause of smallholder agriculture to bring about an inclusive and sustainable economic transformation in Nigeria and Africa. I am excited to build an even stronger partnership between the AfDB and AGRA as we work to give African farmers and African-owned agriculture businesses a bigger role in Africa’s growing economies.” Dr. Kalibata also thanked Dr. Donald Kaberuka, outgoing President of the AfDB, for his leadership and for spearheading greater collaboration between AGRA and the AfDB.
