- Adesina Wins African Person Award 2019
The President of African Development Bank, Mr Akinwumi Adesina, has won the African Person of the year award organised by African Leadership Magazine in South Africa.
Speaking after the award, the president emphasised the need to connect African nations, saying “with 12 million graduates entering the labour market each year and only 3 million of them finding a suitable occupation, youth unemployment has the potential to rise sharply.”
Speaking further, the president said, “considering the pace of change driven by the 4th industrial revolution, we must invest in re-directing and re-skilling our labour force. We must and we will prepare young people for the jobs of the future — not the jobs of the past.”
Dr. Ken Giami, publisher of the African Leadership Magazine, in his remarks, explained that “In Africa, a continent perceived as a group of nations with weak institutions, poor infrastructure and some of the world’s horrific conflicts; the inspiring example and impact that one effective leader exemplifies is truly powerful and game-changing, not just for the immediate beneficiaries but for the world.”
Continuing he maintained that, “Such leaders become a notable point of reference for what is possible, and also inspires a whole generation of upcoming leaders, who go on, hopefully, to solve some of humanity’s biggest problems in the future. That is why we have made it our mission to discover and celebrate these outstanding African leaders and institutions, and position them not just as agents of change, but enable them to continue to inspire and lead effectively, so our world becomes a better place for all.”
Adesina thanks organiser of the event and promised, through the African Development Bank Program, to create 9 million direct and indirect jobs in the next five years.
