Meet Doctor Akinwunmi Adeshina The 3rd Most Reputable Person on Earth

According to the Most Reputable People on Earth list released by
South Africa-based Reputation Poll, Dr. Akinwunmi Adeshina is the third
most reputable person in the world.
Reputation
Poll described the ranking as “a list of individuals across the globe
that have amassed high reputation for themselves through their work and
achievements.” The list features individuals from diverse sectors,
including policy, entertainment, leadership, education and business.

“Our
model for measuring reputation is distinct and also very credible for
the public to rely on,” the firm said, noting that its polls are
conducted with an average of 20,000 respondents who take part in
nominations, research and voting.

Dr Akinwunmi Adesina’s Background

Dr
Akinwunmi Adesina is an indigene of Ebadam, Ogun State. He holds a
bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics (First Class Honors) from
the University of Ife, Masters (1985) and PhD in Agricultural Economics
(1988) from Purdue University USA where he won outstanding thesis award
for that year.
Dr Adesina is currently the 8th elected president
of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the first Nigerian to
serve as the president of the Bank Group, who was elected on May 28th,
2015 and assumed office on 1st September, 2015. 

Appointment as Minister of Agriculture

He
was the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development
(2010-2015) under President Goodluck Jonathan led administration. During
his tenure as a minister, he implemented policy that reformed the
fertilizer sector, and pursued innovative agricultural investments with
the purpose of expanding opportunities for private sector.
While
serving as a minister, he adopted an innovative electronic wallet
system, which provides farmers with subsidized farm inputs at scale
using their mobile phones. This espoused policy was able to end a long
term of corruption in the fertilizer sector. He also led initiatives
that supported youth engagement in the agricultural sector, as well as
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
It was during his tenure as
the Minister of Agriculture that Nigeria’s food production expanded to
21 million metric tonnes, surpassing the 20 million metric tonnes set
out at the start of his tenure.

Other appointments and offices held

• He
  has served as the Senior Economist and Social Science Coordinator for
  International Institute for the Semiarid Tropics from 1988-1990.
• He was Principal Economist for the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA) from 1990-1995;
• He
  was the Vice President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
  (AGRA) in 2008, where he championed initiatives that leveraged over $4
  billion in bank finance commitment towards Africa’s agriculture sector.
• He has served as Associate Director and Regional Director for the Southern Africa office at the Rockefeller Foundation.
• He has served on the Technical Board of the Forum for African Woman Educationalist.

Awards and Honors

• In
  2007, he was awarded the prestigious YARA Prize in Oslo, Norway for his
  leadership in championing innovative which approaches to improve access
  to agricultural inputs for African farmers.
• He received the
  Distinguished Alumni Award (2008) from Purde University, USA and in 2008
  he won the Distinguished Alumni Award from University of Ife—Obafemi
  Awolowo University.
• In 2010, he was awarded Borlaug CAST Award by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology.
• He
  was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Franklin and
  Marshall College for his reforms and global leadership in improving the
  lives and livelihood of the poor.
• In 2010, he was appointed by
  United Nations Secretary, Ban Ki-Moon, as one of the 17 world leaders to
  facilitate international support for the United Nations Millennium
  Development Goals.
• In 2012, he was conferred the Nigeria’s
  second highest National Honor, Commander of the Order of Nigeria, for
  his outstanding service to his country.
• In 2013, he won Forbes
  African Person of the Year (first public sector minister to win the
  award) pinched on his reforms in Nigeria’s agriculture sector which was
  recorded to have empowered more than eight million farmers across Nigeria to embrace agriculture as business.
• In
  2013, Influential Leadership Newspaper selected him as the Public
  Servant of the Year, for his transparency, policy reforms and public
  accountability.
• In 2017, he was rated as the 3rd Most Reputable
  Personality in the world. The rank was released by the global
  performance-reputation management consulting agency and featured “list
  of individuals across the globe that have amassed high reputation for
  themselves through their work and achievements.”
• In 2017, he was
  awarded the World Food Prize Laureate. He was the 46th recipient and
  the sixth African to be honored with this award for improving the
  quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.