Canada honour for Adesina
Adesina |
The University of Alberta will
confer an honorary doctorate of science degree on Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina,
President of the African Development Bank (https://www.AfDB.org/en/), at its
convocation event on June 4 in Edmonton, Canada.
Adesina is a globally renowned
leader who has dedicated his life to lifting millions of people out of poverty.
For more than 30 years, he has implemented policies to increase investment in
agriculture and give millions of farmers’ access to financing and credit,
improved seeds and fertilizers.
Since assuming office in 2015 as
President of the African Development Bank, the premier development finance institution
in Africa, he has made a significant impact.
The bank has won international
recognition for its transparent and effective governance and programs that
advance the UN’s Strategic Development Goals.
Between 2015 and 2018, it has
achieved huge developmental results: 16 million people gained access to new or
improved electricity; 70 million people gained access to improved agricultural
technologies; 9 million people benefitted from private sector investment
projects; 55 million people gained access to better transport services; and 31
million people benefitted from improved access to water and sanitation.
Adesina also launched key
initiatives aimed at unleashing the potentials of African women. The
Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) is a pan-African initiative
to bridge the $42bn financing gap facing women in Africa. It aims to
drastically transform the banking and financial landscape in Africa and
creating incentives for lending to women in business.
He has also helped change the perception
of business in Africa by promoting de-risked development projects seeking
funding from private investors.
Canada, a member of the African
Development Bank since January 1983, is the fourth largest shareholder among
its non-regional member countries.
It provided temporary callable
capital in 2010 while negotiations about the bank’s capital increase from 33
billion dollars to 99 billion were ongoing. That decision enabled the bank to
continue to provide financial support to regional member countries in the
aftermath of the international financial crisis.
More recently, Canada announced a
similar commitment to the tune of $1.1bn in temporary callable capital to
support the bank.
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