US Vice-President Hails Adesina For Winning World Food Prize Award

The vice-president of the United States, Mike Pence, has hailed​ President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, on his 2017 World Food Prize Award at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines​.​

The World Food Prize is the food industry’s version of a Nobel Prize.

A statement signed by the US Vice President described Adesina, Nigeria’s former Minister of Agriculture, as a man whose “devotion to the cause of fighting global hunger is admirable, and deeply needed.”

“As our global food system is stretched, and the need to feed more people grows, agricultural transformation will require persistence from leaders like you in driving change and capitalising on public and private sector expertise,” Pence said.

​President Muhammadu Buhari had expressed his delight at the development.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, ​said ​the ​p​resident’s congratulatory message was contained in a video message to the former minister.

“Certainly, this did not come to me and many Nigerians as a surprise, given your antecedents and contributions to the development of agriculture across the African continent.
“​We are very proud of you​”, Buhari was quoted as saying.