17 Facts About Akinwumi Adesina

Akinwumi "Akin" Adesina is a Nigerian economist, who is currently serving as the President of the African Development Bank.

Akinwumi Adesina previously served as Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Akinwumi Adesina was elected as the President of the African Development Bank in 2015 and re-elected for a second term in 2020.

Akinwumi Adesina is the first Nigerian to hold the post.

Akinwumi Adesina attended a village school and had a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics with First Class Honors from the University of Ife, Nigeria in 1981.

Akinwumi Adesina was the first student to be awarded this distinction by the university.

Akinwumi Adesina pursued further studies at Purdue University, Indiana and briefly returned to Nigeria in 1984, to get married.

From 1990 to 1995, Akinwumi Adesina served as a senior economist at West African Rice Development Association in Bouake, Ivory Coast.

Akinwumi Adesina worked at the Rockefeller Foundation since winning a fellowship from the foundation as a senior scientist in 1988.

Akinwumi Adesina was the Nigerian Agriculture Minister from 2010 to 2015.

Akinwumi Adesina was named Forbes African Man of the Year, for his reform of Nigerian agriculture.

Akinwumi Adesina introduced more transparency into the fertiliser supply chain.

Akinwumi Adesina said that he would give away mobile phones to farmers, but this proved too difficult.

On 28 May 2015, Akinwumi Adesina was elected the presumptive President of the African Development Bank.

Akinwumi Adesina began his tenure of the office on 1 September 2015.

In September 2016, Akinwumi Adesina was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, to serve as member of the Lead Group of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement.

On 27 August 2020, Akinwumi Adesina was re-elected as President of the Africa Development Bank for a second term of five years.