Adesina dedicates lifetime award to Nigeria, says service drives Africa mission

Akinwumi Adesina, immediate past president of the African Development Bank Group, has dedicated his African Lifetime Achievement Award to Nigeria, describing the honour as a shared national triumph rooted in opportunity, sacrifice and service.

In his acceptance speech at the African Heritage Awards ceremony in Accra, Ghana, on Saturday, Adesina said the recognition was not a personal milestone but a testament to the country that “carried me when I was young, shaped me when I was forming, and trusted me when it mattered most.”

“I dedicate this honour to my beloved home country—Nigeria,” he declared. “Not simply as a nation on a map—but as a nation that gave me my beginning… Nigeria, this honour is yours as much as it is mine.”

He credited Nigeria for providing the foundational opportunities that shaped his career, from his early education to leadership roles in government and international development.

The executive chairman and co-founder, Global Africa Investment Summit (GAIS), framed his life’s work as a mission rather than a pursuit of recognition, stressing that his commitment to Africa remains unwavering.

“I do not serve Africa for applause—I serve Africa as a mission. Serving Africa is a lifetime calling. And that calling continues,” he said.

He recalled his time as Nigeria’s minister of agriculture under Goodluck Jonathan, where reforms helped impact millions of farmers and strengthened food security. He also acknowledged successive Nigerian leaders, including Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Muhammadu Buhari and Olusegun Obasanjo, for their support over the years.

“This honour returns home—not as repayment… but as gratitude expressed through service and multiplied through impact,” he said, reinforcing a theme that patriotism is best demonstrated through sustained contribution.

Africa’s rise ‘not potential, but reality’

Adesina, Africa’s optimist-in-chief, used the platform to project confidence in the continent’s economic future, citing International Monetary Fund projections that place it among the fastest-growing regions globally, with expected GDP growth of about 4.2 percent in 2026.

“Africa is not just growing. Africa is compounding,” he said. “Africa is not potential. Africa is an investable reality.”

He pointed to African corporate giants such as the Dangote Group, MTN, Safaricom and Jumia as evidence of a continent already shaping global markets, not waiting to be discovered.

Adesina also highlighted Africa’s vast reserves of critical minerals, estimated at about 30 percent of global supply, arguing that the continent’s challenge is not a lack of assets but insufficient investment platforms to unlock them at scale.

Investment, not aid

Central to his vision is the GAIS, which he co-founded with Margery Kraus, chairman of APCO, to connect African opportunities with global institutional capital.

“This is not aid. This is not sentiment. This is not charity. This is alpha,” he said, positioning Africa as a competitive investment destination rather than a beneficiary of external support.

Adesina extended the significance of the award beyond himself and Nigeria to the wider African populace, especially young people navigating uncertainty.

“To the young boy and girl in a village with no certainty but full of dreams… this moment belongs to you,” he said.

He reaffirmed his identity and lifelong commitment to the continent: “I will live as an African. I will die as an African.”