Buhari Lobbies for Adesina as ADB President

The President-elect of Nigeria, General Muhammadu Buhari, has requested the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to support the candidacy of Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina as the next President of the African Development Bank (ADB).

Buhari communicated his backing of Adesina’s candidacy to the Ghanaian President, John Dramani Mahama, Chairman of the ECOWAS.

In a statement released by his Director of Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Tuesday, Buhari said that his support for Adesina’s candidacy was not just because he was Nigerian, “Dr. Adesina has a proven track record in a career that predates his position as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development”, 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 the 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 a Minister in 2011, he was the Vice President, Policy and Partnerships Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Additionally, he had held senior leadership positions in some of agricultural institutions in the world.