Ag minister named president of African Development Bank
June 22, 2015 |07:08 AM
Akinwumi Adesina, a Purdue University-educated scientist and Nigeria's minister of agriculture and rural development, will become president of the African Development Bank, a multilateral institution, on September 1.
Adesina was previously vice president of policy and partnerships for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Adesina also worked for the Rockefeller Foundation.
“Selecting an agriculture minister to head the African Bank, and selecting Akin in particular, is an inspired decision that will change the face of Africa,” said Marshall Matz, a Washington lawyer who represents AGRA.
“Agriculture development is the key to economic development in Africa as most Africans farm,” Matz said.
