The outgoing Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has
emerged president of the African Development
Bank (AfDB).

Mr Musibau Azzze, National Coordinator of
RUFIN confirmed on Thursday in Addis Ababa
that, Nigeria’s Agriculture Minister, won the AfDB
elections.

Adesina will now take over from outgoing bank
president, Donald Kaberuka on September 1.
The election was part of the Annual General
Meeting (AGM) of the bank in Abidjan, Ivory
Coast.

Adesina defeated contenders like Sufian Ahmed,
Jaloul Ayed, Kordjé Bedoumra, Cristina Duarte,
Samura M. W. Kamara,Thomas Z. Sakala and
Birama Boubacar Sidibé to become the 50-year-
old body’s eighth leader.

Earlier, President-elect Muhammadu Buhari had
requested the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS) to support the
candidacy of Adesina as the body’s president.
Buhari had communicated his backing of Dr
Adesina’s candidacy to Ghanaian President John
Dramani Mahama, the chairman of ECOWAS, a
statement by his spokesman, Garba Shehu,
said.

Reacting to his victory, Adesina told the News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview
that he was highly honoured and delighted.
He promised to revolutionalise agriculture in the
continent and give it a new face.

The minister said that he will not let anybody
down, saying his emergence was a straight fight,
which he appreciated.
Also reacting, Dr Abimbola Adubi, Agricultural
expert with the World Bank described the
outcome of the election as a victory for the
continent.

He said Adesina will bring his experience to bear
considering what he had done in the agriculture
sector in Nigeria and Africa.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/05/outgoing-nigeria-agric-minister-wins-afdb-presidency/

All hail the president elect. Retaining you as the agric minister would have been a more preferable idea.