Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), has committed to the eradication of poverty through agricultural innovation and promoting good governance through the works of developing Africa’s economy
As an agricultural economist, Adesina has been a leader in agricultural innovation for more than 30 years. He has contributed greatly to food security in Africa, aimed at improving the lives of millions currently living in poverty, throughout the African continent. The Sunhak Committee acknowledges Adesina’s achievements in promoting Good Governance of Africa, which boosts Africa’s capacity to feed itself and transform its total economies for generating wealth for millions of rural and poor African farmers.
Adesina pioneered major transformations in the agricultural field, including expanding rice production by introducing high yielding technologies, designing and implementing policies to support farmers’ access to technologies at scale, increasing the availability of credit for millions of smallholder farmers, attracting private investments for the agricultural sector, rooting out the corrupt elements in the fertiliser industry, and assisting in establishment of major agricultural policies for Africa’s green revolution.
The “Africa Fertiliser Summit,” which he organised in 2006, was one of the largest high-level meetings in Africa’s history that had a focus on solving Africa’s food issues. During this Summit, Adesina was instrumental in developing the “Abuja Declaration on Fertiliser for the African Green Revolution,” whereby the participants stated their commitment to the “eradication of hunger in Africa, by 2030.”
Dr Adesina worked with various banks and international NGOs in order to create an innovative financing system, providing loans to small farmers, providing a way for them to rise out of poverty. This move leveraged $100 million in loans and provided opportunities for small farmers to increase their agricultural productivity and their income.
Dr Akinwumi Adesina currently serves as the president of the African Development Bank Group which plays a central role in Africa’s development. As an “economic commander” of Africa, he promotes the “High 5 Strategy” that include: light up and power Africa, feed Africa, industrialises Africa, integrates Africa and improves the quality of life for the people of Africa. As a result of his work, the lives of millions of people throughout Africa have been improved.
Chairman of the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee, Dr Il Sik Hong, stated, “Africa is a rising star and its growth will contribute to global progress and development throughout the 21st century.”
