World Trade Organisation director-general, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has paid glowing tribute to African Development Bank president, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina as he concludes his transformative, decade-long tenure at the helm of Africa’s premier development finance institution.
In a video message relayed to the bank’s shareholders and delegates at the close of their annual meetings on Friday in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Okonjo-Iweala praised Adesina’s exceptional service and lasting impact on the institution and the continent.
Recalling their shared time in the cabinet of former Nigerian president,Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Okonjo-Iweala highlighted Adesina’s transformative initiatives in agriculture, particularly his pioneering of the digital wallet system to support women farmers.
“I challenged him to reach an additional one to two million women farmers, promising performance-based budget support. He delivered, reaching two million more. That’s the kind of leader Akin is,” stated the WTO chief.
“Akin brought uncommon passion to his work and made a difference in the lives of farmers in the country,” she added, emphasising how his leadership has “significantly raised the profile of the Bank to a new height of recognition and respectability.”
As Nigeria’s finance minister and her country’s governor of the bank in 2015, Okonjo-Iweala successfully led Adesina’s campaign for the bank’s presidency. She expressed admiration for Adesina’s leadership, including the historic rise in the bank’s capital base from $93 billion to its current level of $318 billion.
“He’s leaving a strong legacy behind of which he, Nigerians, and all Africans should be proud,” the WTO director-general emphasised, citing Adesina’s signature “High 5s” development agenda. She noted that its successful implementation is instrumental in achieving Africa’s Agenda 2063 goals.
Okonjo-Iweala expressed confidence that, with sustained commitment and strategic focus, these ambitious development targets remain achievable. She stressed the importance of Africans owning the continent’s development and called for continued efforts to turn international interest into concrete investment.
The WTO director-general also expressed enthusiasm about the African Investment Forum, a multistakeholder platform launched by Adesina and eight other partners to advance projects to bankable stages. She said it complements the WTO’s initiatives in promoting African economic development and integration.
While thanking African leaders, governors, executive directors, senior management and staff for supporting Adesina throughout his tenure, Okonjo-Iweala also commended Adesina’s wife, Grace, acknowledging her “steadfast support of her husband’s demanding role” over the past decade.
The bank group’s 2025 annual meetings were held in Abidjan under the theme “Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development.” The august gathering was attended by several heads of state and government, including the host president, Alassane Ouattara; Ghana’s president, John Mahama; Azali Assoumani of the Union of the Comoros and more than 5,000 delegates from various parts of the world.
