Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina on Thursday was re-elected as the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) for a second tenure of five years.
His election took place electronically at the virtual Annual General Meeting of the bank held in Cote D’Ivoire.
A statement on the election signed by the bank’s Acting Director, Communication and External Relations Department, Mr. Nafissatou Diouf, noted that the “globally renowned development economist and a World Food Prize Laureate and Sunhak Peace Prize Laureate, Dr. Adesina, has distinguished himself in driving a bold agenda to reform the bank and accelerate Africa’s development. He was first elected as President of the Bank on May 28, 2015.
“As newly re-elected President, Dr Adesina, a former Nigerian Minister of Agriculture, will begin his new term on September 1, 2020,” Diouf added.
The election result, which gave him a hundred percent of votes of all regional and non-regional members of the bank, was announced by the Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the Bank, Mrs. Niale Kaba, who is also the Minister of National Planning of Côte d’Ivoire.
Kaba enthused: “I am delighted that the Board of Governors have re-elected Dr. Adesina for a second term in office as President. As shareholders, we strongly support the Bank and will give him all the necessary support to carry forward and implement his compelling vision for the Bank over the next five years.”
Earlier in his pre-re-election remarks on Wednesday, the agricultural economist and sole candidate for the position recounted the remarkable achievements of his first term in office and assured the AfDB Board of Directors and other delegates of his readiness to take the continental development bank to loftier heights in its socio-economic drives for Africa’s sustainable development.
