Akinwumi Adeshina's Biography

 

Akinwumi Akin Adeshina, born on the 7th of February in 1960, is a Nigerian economist who also happens to be the President of the African Development Bank. He has held this position since 2015. 

Akinwumi Adeshina is a former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and a former Vice President of Policy and Partnerships for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). He is also the first Nigerian to be elected president of the African Development Bank. 

Early life and education

Akinwumi Adeshina was born on February 7, 1960, in Ibadan, Oyo State, to a Nigerian farmer. 

He started his primary school education in a village school, where he obtained a Primary School Leaving Certificate. He then attended the University of Ife (now known as Obafemi Awolowo University), where he studied Agricultural Economics and graduated with First Class Honors. Akinwumi Adeshina was the first student at the university to be awarded a distinction in Agricultural Economics.

After graduating from the University of Ife, Akinwumi Adeshina went on to further his education at Purdue University, where he obtained a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics. His Ph.D. thesis at Purdue University won the sought-after Rockefeller Foundation Social Science Fellowship.

Career

Akinwumi Adeshina began his career as a senior economist at the West African Rice Development Association (WARDA) in Bouakyé, Ivory Coast, from 1990 to 1995, before working at the Rockefeller Foundation, where he won a fellowship in 1988 as a senior scientist.

From 1999 to 2003, Akinwumi Adeshina worked at the Foundation for the Southern African Area as a representative, and from 2003 to 2008, he worked as an associate director for food security.

In 2010, Akinwumi Adeshina was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture in Nigeria. During his time as a minister, he made the fertilizer supply chain in Nigeria more transparent and almost gave away free mobile phones to farmers in Nigeria but couldn't as a result of the lack of a mobile network in certain areas of the country. 

In 2010, Akinwumi Adeshina was also appointed as one of the 17 world leaders to lead the Millennium Development Goals by the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, and in 2015, when his tenure as Minister of Agriculture came to an end, he was elected as the presumptive President of the African Development Bank.

In August 2020, Akinwumi Adeshina was re-elected for a second term as the President of the African Development Bank. 

Recognition

Akinwumi Adeshina was awarded an Honorary Doctor by Afe Babalola University in 2018, the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta in 2020 (in science), and Addis Ababa University in May 2022. He was also named as Forbes Africa "Person of the Year" in 2013 and 2019. 

Akinwumi Adeshina's age

Akinwumi Adeshina was born on the 7th of February, 1960. He is 63 years old.

Akinwumi Adeshina's family

Akinwumi Adeshina is married to Grace Adeshina, and together they have two children, Segun and Rotimi.

Akinwumi Adeshina's salary

According to an online report, as President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adeshina earns around $163,089. 

Akinwumi Adeshina's net worth

Akinwumi Adeshina has a net worth of around $90 million, which he amassed from his multiple businesses.