AfDB’s Akinwumi Adesina Appointed to Fresh Position After Tenure

The World Food Prize Foundation has appointed Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the departing president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), to its esteemed Council of Advisors.
In a statement released in New York and provided to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mashal Husain, President of the Foundation, made the news. Adesina, whose ten-year term at AfDB comes to an end in September, was recognized in 2017 as a World Food Prize Laureate for his groundbreaking contributions to food security and agriculture throughout Africa.

“President Adesina embodies Dr. Norman Borlaug’s values and vision—turning imaginative ideas into real impact,” Husain remarked. A remarkable addition to our Council of Advisors, he has dedicated his life to agricultural innovation, sustainability, and economic growth throughout Africa. We are delighted to have him return to the Foundation in this new position.
Distinguished world leaders, including past heads of state, ministers, scientists, and legislators, make up the Council of Advisors, which is responsible with directing the Foundation’s activities and furthering Borlaug’s vision of a world without hunger.

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As a response, Adesina said, “I am really honored to be a part of the World Food Prize Foundation’s Council of Advisors. My path was influenced by Dr. Norman Borlaug’s enthusiasm for eradicating hunger, who served as both a mentor and a personal inspiration. In my role as Laureate, I carry on his legacy, and I am excited to collaborate with the Foundation to promote audacious, scientifically based solutions that empower farmers, feed countries, and change the globe.

Adesina, a well-known development economist and agricultural specialist worldwide, played a key role in initiating programs that greatly increased food production, addressed corruption in Nigeria’s fertilizer distribution system, and enabled millions of smallholder farmers to obtain financing.

From 2011 to 2015, Adesina was Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. He was appointed to the AfDB in 2015, becoming the first Nigerian to fill the role.

At AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa) and the Rockefeller Foundation, he also held important positions.

Light Up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa are the five “High 5” development goals that Adesina promoted while serving as AfDB’s CEO.

Under his direction, the bank’s capital increased from $93 billion to $318 billion, allowing for historic investments in food systems, infrastructure, and youth entrepreneurship.

“Dr. Adesina has been a pioneer in international agriculture and economic growth for a long time,” stated World Food Prize Foundation CEO Tom Vilsack. Under his direction, African agriculture has changed from combating corruption to empowering farmers and promoting sustainable growth.

Purdue University is where Adesina earned her Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics. When he leaves his position as AfDB president in September, he is anticipated to take up his new position on the Council.

Established by Dr. Norman Borlaug, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, the World Food Prize recognizes people who have made a major contribution to the availability, quality, or quantity of food worldwide.

Ever since its establishment, the prize has been given to 55 global changemakers and is given out every year during the week-long Borlaug Dialogue, which focuses on ending world hunger.