For African Development Bank (AfDB), the 50-year old economic and financial strong room on African continent, it is a beginning of new economic life after marking the golden jubilee, as Akinwunmi Adesina, a Nigerisn PhD holder, is expected to draw a new economic blueprint and adopt new strategies against African most common enemy: poverty.
Carlos Lopez, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, like other world leaders and entrepreneurs, seek more robust leadership and determination for the African Development Bank (AfDB) knowing full well that whatever plays out in the African apex economic and financial strong room, good or bad, will have serious and visible effects on the continent.
They believe that Africa, as never before, requires financial re-engineering and economic transformation centred on agriculture and value chain development in order to win mutiple battles against myriad of socio-economic challenges on African continent, especially poverty and malnutrition which have caused millions of deaths across Africa.
According to an official source from the headquarters of African Development Bank (AfDB) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, series of socio-economic interventions had been put in place as Rwanda-born president of AfDB, Donald Kaberuka is winding up, to widen African economic frontiers, mainly to create jobs, wealth, values and economic viability and sustainability.
The source said that AfDB, having observed that Africa accounts for only 25% of continent gross domestic product with luscious and varied unmeasurable land mass and vegetations as well as a huge agricultural labour force, for which African women account 50% in Sub-saharan African, “the choice of former Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development is not a misnomer.”
Going by these facts, he said that AfDB had been propelled to establish agriculture-based empowerment programme tagged, “Economic Empowerment of African Women through Equitable Participation in Agricultural Value Chains”, targeted at empowerment of women in both public and private sectors with a focus on cassava, cocoa, coffee and cotton production.
Also the outgoing President of AfDB, Donald Kaberuka, while commenting on the purpose for which the agriculture-based empowerment for African women was established, he said, “This report prepares the ground to empower women, to take a leading role in the business of farming and agricultural value chains, regionally and globally.”
No wonder, Calos Lopez said, “What this continent needs is leadership and determination. Leadership and determination, that is what Donald is all about. Are African lions? Lions are lazy! Cheetahs are the fastest animals on the planet. When they go for something, they are 100% sure that they want it. I know a man who is a cheetah: Donald Kaberuka.”
It seems the former Nigerian Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Akinwunmi Adesina is up to the task, considering his pedigree, economic acumen and ultimately, his myriad of achievements in agricultural sector of Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa; helping Nigeria to reduce annual expenses on food imports from N1.1 trillion to N697 billion.
Adesina noted, immediately he was elected as 8th President of African Development Bank, that he would fight poverty in Africa through the continental development bank, saying his presidency would work hard to create opportunities for shared prosperity on the continent.
He said despite myriad of challenges bedevilling Africa as a continent in terms of energy, infrastructure, unemployment among others, poverty should not be comparative advantage of Africa, just as he disclosed that rural economies’ revival and agricultural development would be greatly considered as major thrust of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Adesina, who advocated regional integration as socio-economic means through which shared prosperity would be achieved and Africa would be globally competitive, said, “I want to assure you (Africans) that I as the President of the Bank, by the grace of God, poverty would not be the comparative advantage of Africa.
“We would work very hard to develop programmes that would end poverty on this continent, that would lead people out of it and create opportunities for shared prosperity all, across our continent.
“Obviously, I think critical issues of infrastructure would be important; energy for all would be important; electricity would be important, very critical to build private sector, to create wealth all, across our continent, and to make sure we are able to create jobs for hundreds of millions of our people, instead of people going across this Sahara Desert or Mediterranean to go to Europe, we want to create job on this continent of Africa and we can do that.
“Also I believe we must reveive our rural economies and lift hundreds of our rural people that depend on agriculture out of poverty. So, getting agriculture to work as a business is going to be a big one that we are going to do for inclusive growth and also into regional integration.
“My dream and vision for Africa is one, an Africa that is growing well, has a lot of share prosperity and Africa where you have a lot of peace, stability and security, and one which is regionally integrated within ourselves but also globally competitive in what we do.
“And Africa, we can be proud to be called our own and I am glad that the experience that I have gained here, the support I have gained here would put me in great step to put all those things also into practice at the Africa level.”
Also, Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state, governor of the state where Adesina hails from in Nigeria believes that the newly-elected 8th President of African Debelopment Bank (AfDB) would perform wonders for the entire Africa considering his longstanding economic acumen and experience, saying African continent would be better off with his kinsman, Adesina.
He said, “The appointment is well deserved, having served meritoriously in his position as Minister of Agriculture. He has made us proud in Ogun State as we have scored yet another first, being the first Nigerian to be so appointed. I have no doubt in my mind that he would bring his experience to bear in his new assignment.”
As Lopez would say that Africa does not need lions since the lions are lazy! But, Africa needs cheetahs; courageous go-getters, the world expects Adesina, who is due for swearing-in as 8th President of African Development Bank (AfDB) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Headquarters of AfDB today, to prove another cheetah in African socio-economic manangement.
RAZAQ AYINLA
