Akinwunmi Adesina: An Agriculturist Par Excellence

Blessing Enenaite Business, Featured 01/12/2020

Intelligence is a tool many people often use to make a name for themselves. Akinwunmi Adesina is beyond intelligent; he is a man of excellence.

Beyond its role in academic success, intelligence is a necessity for any human who aspires to create solutions to problems.

Adesina’s academic prowess in Agricultural Economics has blossomed into leadership roles over the years.

In recognition of his achievements and unrelenting desire to make a name for himself as an agriculturist, he is NRTC’s personality of the month for November.

So far on this feature, we have had Fisayo Soyombo, Mo Abudu, Mike Bamiloye, Chimamanda Adichie, and Folarin Falana (Falz).

Who is Akinwunmi Adesina?

Dr Akinwumi Adesina was born on February 6, 1960 in Oyo state. He is the 8th and current President of the African Development Bank and is the first Nigerian to hold this position.

Prior to that, he served as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development from 2010 to 2015.

Read Also: Chadwick Boseman: A life well spent

In 1981, he graduated with a First Class Honors in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ife, Nigeria. He became the first student to achieve this feat at that university.

Also, in 1988, he bagged a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University, Indiana. Likewise, he won the Outstanding PhD Thesis for his research.

Adesina (Source: Facebook/Akinwunmi Adesina)

Adesina is notable for his reform of the Nigerian agriculture system when he was minister. His policies supported farmers, especially in the rural areas and encouraged the improvement of farming standards in the country.

He also introduced transparency into the fertilizer supply chain for farmers. Over the years, he has been applauded for his drive to make farming ‘attractive‘.

Adesina in active service

From 1990 to 1995, Adesina served as a senior economist at West African Rice Development Association (WARDA) in Bouaké, Ivory Coast. He was the representative of the Rockefeller Foundation for the southern African area from 1999 to 2003. In 2013, he was awarded Forbes African Man of the Year.

He was appointed by the then United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in 2010 as one of 17 global leaders to head the Millennium Development Goals. Likewise, in September 2016, Ban Ki-moon appointed Adesina to serve as member of the Lead Group of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement.

In 2017, he was awarded the 2017 World Food Prize. In 2019, he was made the Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit of Tunisia.

The renowned agriculturist is married to Grace Adesina, and the union is blessed with two children, Rotimi and Segun.

Adesina is proof that consistency in excellence has its reward. Hence, his re-election as President of the Africa Development Bank for a second term of five years on August 27, 2020 was not surprising.

Indeed, his work speaks for him. A professional with much finesse and outstanding in his craft.

An agriculturist par excellence, he is. Truly.