Dr. Akinwumi Adesina

“Getting power right must happen to unlock Africa's potential. I don’t see why we cannot achieve universal energy access by 2025.”

African Development Bank head focuses on energy - FT.com The new president of the African Development Bank plans to dedicate his tenure to solving what he sees as the biggest hindrance to economic growth and development on the continent: the energy deficit. Akinwumi Adesina, who took over as president of

Yesterday, I spoke at the United Nations General Assembly about Africa's potential for sustainable development. Here's an excerpt of my speech:

If we want real economic growth – and if we want real production and consumption, we must take bold steps. We must think differently and act with a greater sense of urgency. There is every reason in the world to be optimistic that we can solve our energy crisis, thus paving the way for sustainable economic development. And not in 50 years. In 10 years. We have massive resources for both conventional and renewable energy. We need to harness it. And we will – through critical reforms made possible by working together with the African Union, the Economic Commission for Africa, with the countries of our region, with the private sector, and with our global partners. Partnerships for impact.

We are going to light up and power Africa – and in so doing, we will unleash our potential for sustainable and transformative economic growth.

We must change. Africa can no longer wait. Just like blood is to the body, so is energy to the economy. An economy that has no electricity is only dying, slowly. Africa’s growth and prosperity depends on solving the crisis on energy. It will require a greater level of commitment than ever seen before, for Africa’s present and future depends on it. We cannot simply be content with small ambitions on energy in Africa. We must all rise up and do more – and do so faster and at scale. And we must act differently, by building strategic partnerships on energy in Africa that allows us to reach a greater level of ambition and delivery.
Read the speech I delivered at the High-level Consultative Stakeholder Meeting on the New Deal on Energy for Africa here --> http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/article/speech-akinwumi-a-adesina-afdbs-president-at-the-high-level-consultative-stakeholder-meeting-on-the-new-deal-on-energy-for-africa-abidjan-cote-divoire-14689/

Speech - Akinwumi A. Adesina, AfDB’s President, at the High-level Consultative Stakeholder... Your Excellency, Daniel Kablan Duncan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire. Your Excellency, Lionel Zinsou, Prime Minister of the...

AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina pushes for a ‘New Deal on Energy’

AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina pushes for a ‘New Deal on Energy’ AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina pushes for a â

Africa is blessed with limitless potential for solar, wind,
hydropower and geothermal energy resources. We must
unlock Africa’s energy potential – both conventional and
renewable.

Learn more about African Development Bank Group's Energy Week and our launch of a New Deal on Energy for Africa: http://www.afdb.org/en/energyweek

Energy Week - African Development Bank The African Development Bank (AfDB) is hosting and co-organizing Energy Week, a series of events, including high-level discussions and partnerships focusing on lighting up and powering Africa, and unlocking the continent’s huge energy potential. Energy Week runs from Monday, September 14 to Friday,…

Ma priorité, c’est d’allumer l’Afrique. Sans électricité, pas de développement. Sans énergies - conventionnelles ou renouvelables -, pas de santé, pas d’education, pas de croissance économique à deux chiffres. L’Afrique dispose d’un potentiel exceptionnel. Il faut maintenant le développer.

Adesina Akinwumi : "Ma priorité, c’est d’allumer l’Afrique" - JeuneAfrique.com Quelques jours après sa prise de fonction, le Nigérian Adesina Akinwumi, le nouveau président de la Banque africaine de développement a expliqué ses priorités à Jeune Afrique.

With Laurent Fabius at the Elysee

From my conversation w/ The Wall Street Journal : “My #1 priority will be to power Africa, and to light up Africa”.

African Development Bank Head To Focus on Power, Equality and Inclusion Akinwumi Adesina takes over this week as president of the African Development Bank. In an exclusive interview with the Wall Street Journal, he lays out his vision for the bank.

“Africa could easily be growing at double-digit GDP rates if we solve this problem of energy,” said Akinwumi Adesina, a former Nigerian agriculture minister, who was sworn in as the AfDB’s eighth president on Tuesday. “Energy poverty on the continent has to be solved as a matter of urgency, as a matter of scale. This is going to be my most important priority.”
Read more from Business Day here —> http://businessdayonline.com/2015/09/afdb-chief-adesina-to-focus-on-powering-africa/

AfDB chief, Adesina, to focus on powering Africa The African Development Bank (AfDB) will focus in coming years on tackling Africa’s chronic power shortages to try to unlock its economic potential and end its vulnerability to fluctuations in commodity prices, its new president said.

“Our goal is to maximize Africa’s economic prosperity and build growth that is inclusive and sustainable,” Adesina told reporters in Abidjan on Tuesday after his inauguration.
Read more from Bloomberg Business here —> http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-01/sovereign-wealth-funds-can-ease-africa-risks-new-afdb-head-says

Sovereign Wealth Funds Can Ease Africa Risks, New AfDB Head Says African nations, stung by plunging commodity prices, should set up more sovereign wealth funds to help withstand the next downturn, said Akinwumi Adesina, the African Development Bank’s new president.

Photos from President Adesina's investiture as President of the African Development Bank Group on 1 September 2015