Dr Adesina holding the Forbes prize |
Dr Olumuyiwa Osiname, Chair of the
Local Organizing Committee of the 2014 IITA Alumni Reunion, described the award
as a well-deserved victory.
“It demonstrates and supports the
need for African governments to use technocrats in government for better results…
I think this is the message,” Dr Osiname said.
Dr Adesina was selected for his
bold reforms in Nigeria’s agriculture sector. Other nominees included Aliko
Dangote of Dangote Group; Chairman of the Zenith Bank Group, Jim Ovia; Strive
Masiyiwa, founder of the global telecoms group, Econet Wireless in Zimbabwe;
and South African mining magnate, Patrice Motsepe.
His reforms in the agricultural
sector are empowering Nigerian farmers and have ended the protracted mess in
the procurement of agricultural inputs, including fertilizers.
Dr Nteranya Sanginga, IITA’s
Director General and a former colleague of Dr Adesina, describes the award as a
victory for smallholder farmers and agriculture in Africa.
“It shows that things are beginning
to take shape in Africa,” Dr Sanginga said.
Dr Adesina is a passionate defender
of smallholder farmers, and has been instrumental in unlocking opportunities
for farmers and changing Africa’s narrative on agriculture away from poverty
reduction to wealth creation.
He was a program leader in the IITA
Resource and Crop Management Division based in Cameroon from 1992 to 1998.
As host, Dr Adesina’s government has been very
supportive of CGIAR in general and IITA in particular and its programs that are
directed at alleviating poverty, enhancing health and nutrition, and improving
the quality of life of the poor, including women and the youth, in Nigeria,
sub-Saharan Africa, and other tropical regions.
In his acceptance speech, Dr Adesina said, “I am truly honored and humbled by this prestigious award, which I dedicate to Africa’s farmers and the new cadre of young business entrepreneurs who have discovered the hidden gem for sustainable wealth creation on our continent – Agriculture.”
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