During a visit to campus to receive an honorary doctorate from MSU, Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank and Nigeria's former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, led a discussion on the changing landscape of impactful research in Africa. Interviewed by Thom Jayne, professor in the department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, Adesina discussed the promise of investing in youth, mechanisms to foster women's economic empowerment, and shared stories from his personal life.

"I came out of poverty," Adesina said to a packed room of faculty, staff, scholars and visiting professionals. "I used to tell my professors, 'poverty isn't theoretical.' I don't believe in poverty reduction—if you're poor you want to get out as fast as you can."

The son of a Nigerian farmer and 2017 recipient of the World Food Prize, Adesina earned his doctorate in agricultural economics from Purdue University, a fellow land-grant school.

"Land-grant universities train some of the best minds in the world," said Adesina. "They connect the university with farmers. What we need to do now is to connect U.S. universities with Africa. Young Africans are looking to get a world-class education without going to the United States, so how can we have training programs that accomplish this? First, there needs to be significant increase in funding for land-grant universities, like Michigan State, and they need to find ways to support students to build businesses."

To the audience, Adesina asked: "How many of you want to be farmers?"

A few hands went up.

"Okay, I'll ask it a different way: How many of you want to be agripreneurs?"

More hands shot up eagerly.

"The reason I say that is, perception matters. Ask somebody that came out of the rural area themselves, like myself. When we were in school, they used to make that work the punishment. But I believe that the future billionaires and millionaires of Africa will not come out of the oil and gas industry—they will come out of agriculture." Those who view it differently, said Adesina, may "look at a field of gold and see only dirt."

As the leader of an international organization that promotes and enables sustainable economic development and social progress, Adesina said his job is to put the African Development Bank's money to good use. He's certain that means investing in youth.

Sitting in the front rows was a group of 10 young women and one young man, catching a clear view of Adesina's bright smile and his signature bowtie. As participants in the Advancing Young Women Agribusiness Entrepreneurs and Innovators Professional Fellows Program, the group recently traveled to MSU from Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, and had been looking forward to meeting Adesina—a man they recognize as a champion for their efforts. The fellows' international exchange is sponsored by the U.S. State Department, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and facilitates their engagement with Michigan organizations, ultimately strengthening their capacity to advance women entrepreneurs and innovators at home.

Joan Watheri, a fellow from Nairobi, took the opportunity to ask Adesina what role the African Development Bank might play in supporting young businesses such as her enterprise, Yatta Beekeepers.

"When young people get access to knowledge, training and skills, that's great, we need that," replied Adesina. "But at the end of the day, we need to turn all that knowledge into something. The challenge comes in having the resources that will allow you to take up your ideas. That's where the African Development Bank comes in."

The AfDB has formal programs, such as the Boost Africa Initiative, which leverages funds to support innovators and start-ups, but Adesina maintains a firm resolution to improve access to financial services across the board—particularly for women. He highlighted the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa, a program that will rank banks on the volume of lending to women, on their rates of lending to women, and on the impact of their lending to women.

"This is important for us systemically because the banks come to the African Development Bank for lines of credit. If they come to us, we'll say, 'what have you done for women lately?' We're changing their mindset and creating an incentive."

Adesina's support and unwavering belief in the potential of youth is, in part, what motivates fellows like Marion Namukose, a 31-year-old fruit farmer from Uganda.

"I'm so honored to have attended Dr. Adesina's talk. It was so inspirational. He talked about the future being in our hands—as entrepreneurs, and especially as ladies. With all the capabilities that we have, and the support from many institutions, it's just about knowing where to go and how to do it. It's all in our hands," she said. "Being a farmer, I feel like I'm in the right place, on the right path, doing what I should be doing."

In recognition of Adesina's transformative impact on agriculture, development and Africa's advancement, MSU awarded Adesina an honorary doctorate of agriculture.

Related news:

Why Africa is the place to be, by AfDB's president, The Guardian, 05/11/2018
A shared vision of partnership, AFRE/CANR, 05/09/2018
Akin Adesina receives honorary doctorate of agriculture from MSU, AFRE/CANR, 05/02/2018