What Dr. Adesina's election to the African Development Bank could mean for agriculture

This week Dr. Akinwumi (Akin) Adesina was elected to the role of next President of the African Development Bank (ADB), triumphing over seven other contenders through a rigorous six rounds of voting. What does this mean for the future of agriculture in Africa? Looking at Dr. Adesina’s history, it’s no surprise that experts are calling this election a promising new development.

With the tagline “building today, a better Africa tomorrow,” the ADB is an organization dedicated to allocating financial resources and technical assistance to stimulate strong and sustainable economic development and social progress throughout Africa. Some of its largest goals are to stamp out poverty and hunger and to promote environmental sustainability. According to agricultural source Agri-pulse, the ADB is one of the largest lending organizations in Africa, and Dr. Adesina’s experience and expertise in agriculture could help guide the ADB toward making the best decisions possible toward lending and financial assistance in that field.

As Agri-pulse reports, Dr. Adesina has a goal of helping African communities become competitive on a global scale in the agricultural market. “A big thing for us in Africa is to create an inclusive model with jobs for Africa's youth, jobs for Africa's women, revive Africa's rural areas and have regional integration for shared prosperity,” he reportedly stated after being elected.

As the first agricultural economist by trade to be elected to this position as president of the ADB, with strong experience and education in the field through a PhD in agriculture from Purdue University and four years of agricultural leadership experience through his role as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture since 2011, he has the knowledge and experience to make that ambition a reality.

[SOURCE: Agri-pulse]