Akinwumi Adesina

"Dr. Akin Adesina is Vice President (Policy and Partnerships) for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa...

"In June of this year Dr Adesina was appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon to the Eminent Persons Group as an Advocate of the Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group.

"A distinguished scientist, leader, and communicator who has been working passionately for Africa's Green Revolution, he has been selected to receive the prestigious 2010 Borlaug Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) Communication Award. Dr. Adesina won the prestigious Rockefeller Foundation Social Science Research Fellowship in 1988, which initiated his career in international agricultural development. He has worked variously in senior research positions in International Agricultural Research Centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. This includes: Principal Economist and Social Science Research Coordinator for the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) (1995-1998); Principal Economist and Coordinator for West Africa Rice Economics Task Force at the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA) (1990-1995); and Assistant Principal Economist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) (India and Mali: 1988-1990).

"He joined the Rockefeller Foundation, New York, as a Senior Scientist for Africa in 1998 and later served as Rockefeller Foundation Representative for Southern Africa, based in Harare Zimbabwe (1999-2003) and is also an Associate Director (Food Security) at The Rockefeller Foundation, based in Nairobi, Kenya (2003-present).

"He has published over 70 articles in international journals, conference proceedings and books on issues of agricultural development in Africa and serves as reviewer for several international journals. He is currently the President of African Association of Agricultural Economists and is an Executive Board member of the International Association of Agricultural Economists.

"He helped to design, inspire and galvanize support of the international community behind the landmark Africa Fertilizer Summit, where 40 heads of states agreed to solve Africa's fertilizer crisis in the drive towards an Africa green revolution. He is consulted on agricultural development issues in Africa by the World Economic Forum, World Bank, African Development Bank, governments and several other development institutions."


 * Policy Advisory Board, ONE Campaign