AfDB presidency: Buhari joins lobby for Adesina

Nigeria’s lobby for the candidacy of the Agriculture and Rural Development minister, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, for the position of the next president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), received a major boost as the president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday requested the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to support the candidacy of the minister.
Buhari has communicated his backing of Adesina’s candidacy to the Ghanaian President, John Mahama, who is the current chairman of ECOWAS, in a statement released in Abuja.
“Dr. Adesina has a proven track record in a career that predates his position as Nigeria’s Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development,” General Buhari said.
He added that Adesina had years of experience of working in Francophone and Anglophone countries, and a passion to help eradicate poverty in Africa by reducing unemployment and inequality among African youth.
Adesina is also an agricultural development expert with 24 years of experience in developing and managing successful agricultural programmes across Africa. Until his appointment as the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2011, he was the Vice President, Policy and Partnerships, Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Additionally, he has held senior leadership positions in a number of agricultural institutions in the world.