Akinwumi Adesina, the president of African Development
Bank (AfDB), has been named the 2017 World Food Prize Laureate.
NAN reports that Adesina, whose name was selected on
Monday in Washington DC, becomes the 46th recipient and the sixth African to be
so honoured.
The award ceremony would take place on October 19.
Announcing the new laureate, Kenneth Quinn, the president,
The World Food Prize, The Hall of Laureates, described Adesina as “someone who
grew out of poverty, but whose life mission is to lift up millions of people
out of poverty”.
The prestigious $250,000 prize is given annually to a
person who has worked to advance human development by “improving the quality,
quantity or availability of food in the world”.
Over a 31-year existence, the award has become known as
the ‘Nobel prize’ for food and agriculture.
The announcement by Quinn was made at a ceremony held at the
US department of agriculture, which was attended by US secretary of agriculture
Sonny Perdue.
Quinn said “These individuals have been at the fore-front
of every major breakthrough in agriculture and food production in the last 30
years”.
He said that the laureates had led the “single greatest
period of food production and hunger reduction in all human history”.
According to him, nominations for the prize were submitted
by organisations and prestigious individuals.
He said that a selection committee, made of individuals
from around the world, makes the final decision.
Also, Perdue, attesting to the good works of Adesina, said
the new Food Prize Laureate could fit in as the US secretary of agriculture.
In attendance were some past awardees, Nigeria’s former
minister of finance, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Nigeria’s acting ambassador to the US
and chargé d‘affaires, Hakeem Balogun.
Others include officials of the World Food Programme,
members of the diplomatic corps and other US officials.
Since its founding in 1986, the prize has honoured 45
individuals for their outstanding contributions to food security around the
world.
Adesina was the Nigeria’s minister of agriculture under
the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan.
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