Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank has been named recipient of 2023 Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership.
This was announced in a statement on Thursday by Chief Emeka Anyaoku, chairman of the Selection Committee of the foundation.
Adesina, a former Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture in the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is currently serving a second term as President of AfDB.
The foundation described Adesina as a pan Africanist with enthusiastic commitment to the positive transformation of the continent.
The statement read, “He has demonstrated core leadership qualities that have been associated with Chief Ọbafẹmi Awolọwọ, and which this Prize is meant to encourage and reward.
“Besides his manifest intellectual leadership, Dr. Adeṣina is a person whose outstanding leadership has occasioned public policies that have positively transformed millions of lives.
“As Minister of Agriculture in Nigeria, Dr. Adeṣina introduced innovative reforms such as the fertilizer sector reforms, which virtually eliminated corruption in the sector and ensured that farmers actually benefitted from government’s subsidized fertilizers. He developed an electronic wallet system that allowed farmers to receive electronic vouchers for seeds and fertilizers directly on their mobile phones, thereby cutting off the middlemen in the system. Not less than 15 million farmers benefitted from this scheme within four years.
“Since assuming office as President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Adeṣina has worked relentlessly to contribute to the positive transformation of the continent. He has brought leadership to bear in addressing some of the challenges confronting the continent including leading and supporting innovative efforts to fight hunger and poverty.
“At the AfDB, Dr. Adeṣina introduced what he termed the “High 5s” namely, to light up and power Africa; Feed Africa; Industrialise Africa; Integrate Africa; and improve the quality of life of the people of Africa. The impactful and successful nature of this programme has been widely acknowledged.
“In 2019, under the leadership of Dr. AdeDra, the shareholders of the African Development Bank increased the capital base of the Bank from $US93 billion to US$208 billion, an increase of over 123 percent capital increase of the Bank since its establishment in 1964.
“Dr. AdeDra is a kind kind-hearted person who believes in supporting the less privileged and younger persons. He demonstrated this when, at the event where he was given the World Food Prize, he announced that he would devote the $US 250,000 cash tied to the prize to supporting young people by establishing the World Hunger Fighters Foundation to support young people in the fight against global hunger. Several young people have so far benefitted from this gesture.
Anyaoku further said that a comprehensive citation of Dr. Adeṣina, including his remarkable educational achievements, will be given at the award ceremony scheduled for 6 March, 2024, which is Chief Awolọwọ’s birth anniversary.
