Dr. Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, AFDB, has been announced 2019 Laureate for the Sunhak Peace Prize scheduled to take place in February, 2019 in Seoul, Korea.
The announcement was made by the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
Also announced as 2019 Laureate for the Sunhak Peace Prize is Waris Dirie, 53 year-old world-class supermodel and anti-FGM activist.
A statement issued by Apo Group said Adesina is being recognised for his contributions towards food security in Africa through his innovative and leadership role in the continent’s agricultural sector for over 30 years.
The statement read in part: “As an agricultural economist, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has been a leader in agricultural innovation for over 30 years. He has contributed greatly to food security in Africa, aimed at improving the lives of millions currently living in poverty, throughout the African continent. The Sunhak Committee acknowledges Dr. Akinwumi Adesina’s achievements in promoting Good Governance of Africa, which boosts Africa’s capacity to feed itself and transform its total economies for generating wealth for millions of rural and poor African farmers.”
The statement also noted that “Adesina has been a leader in agricultural innovation in Africa for over 30 years, bringing great improvement to Africa’s food security contributing to Africa’s dynamic growth,” adding that “his leadership is building stepping-stones for Africa’s dynamic growth.”
The Sunhak Peace Prize Committee highlighted some specific achievements of the AFDB President that earned him the Laureate. It said: “Dr. Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina pioneered major transformations in the agricultural field, including expanding rice production by introducing high yielding technologies, designing and implementing policies to support farmers’ access to technologies at scale, increasing the availability of credit for millions of smallholder farmers, attracting private investments for the agricultural sector, rooting out the corrupt elements in the fertilizer industry, and assisting in establishment of major agricultural policies for Africa’s green revolution.
“The “Africa Fertilizer Summit,” which he organized in 2006, was one of the largest high-level meetings in Africa’s history that had a focus on solving Africa’s food issues. During this Summit, Dr. Adesina was instrumental in developing the “Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer for the African Green Revolution,” whereby the participants stated their commitment to the “eradication of hunger in Africa, by 2030.”
“Dr. Adesina worked with various banks and international NGOs in order to create an innovative financing system, providing loans to small farmers, providing a way for them to rise out of poverty. This move leveraged $100 million in loans and provided opportunities for small farmers to increase their agricultural productivity, and their income.”
As president of ADFB, Adesina, tagged “economic commander” of Africa, promotes the “High 5 Strategy” that include: light up and power Africa, feed Africa, industrialize Africa, integrate Africa and improve the quality of life for the people of Africa which have indeed improved the lives of millions of people throughout Africa.
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Chairman of the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee, Dr. Il Sik Hong, said the Sunhak Peace Prize was established based upon the vision of “One Family Under God,” and that the 2019 Sunhak Peace Prize gives special attention to peace and human development in Africa.
Dr. Hong added “in order for us to build an era of peace and coexistence in the 21st century, we want to encourage continuous development in Africa. Africa is a rising star and its growth will contribute global progress and development throughout the 21st century.”
The Sunhak Peace Prize according to Hong honours individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to the peace and the welfare of the future generations. The Sunhak Peace Prize includes a cash prize totaling one million dollars.
