A Mission, Not a Job: Adesina Reflects on a Decade of Transformative Leadership at AfDB

Friday 30th May 2025

Por inAfrika Reporter

In an emotionally charged press briefing that opened the 2025 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Abidjan, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina offered a rare and intimate reflection on his ten-year tenure as President of the Bank. With a new president set to be elected during the five-day summit, Adesina’s remarks were part farewell, part legacy statement—and wholly anchored in the language of mission, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment.

“This is not a job. If anyone is looking for a job, please don’t take it. This is a mission,” he said candidly to a room of journalists. “As my wife Grace and staff would tell you, for ten years I have had no life. Completely zero. I worked every single day. Every single step.”

Adesina’s presidency, which began in 2015, has been marked by some of the most significant achievements in the Bank’s history. Under his leadership, the Bank’s capital increased from $93 billion to a historic $318 billion. The African Development Fund saw a record replenishment of $8.9 billion. Most profoundly, over half a billion Africans directly benefited from AfDB programs and investments during his administration—a data point he insists reflects “not just figures, but futures.”

The 2025 Annual Meetings, bringing together over 6,000 delegates from 91 countries—including policymakers, civil society, development partners, and media—are not just a forum for planning and strategy. They are, for Adesina, the closing chapter of what he described as “a decade of relentless purpose, of enduring passion, and of tireless service.”

Speaking in both English and French, he revisited the Bank’s core development blueprint—the “High 5s”: Light Up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa. “The High 5s have impacted the lives of over 565 million people,” he said. “These are hopes realized.”

Beyond economic figures and development milestones, Adesina used the platform to acknowledge the role of the media, both as critics and custodians of Africa’s narrative. “You are not just observers. You are amplifiers of Africa’s voice. You shape the narrative. You challenge us. You inform the world,” he said, reiterating his longstanding call for stronger African-owned media platforms that can project the continent’s successes to a global audience.

It’s a message he had delivered just a year prior in Nairobi, during the All-Africa Media Leaders’ Summit—a call for an African information ecosystem rooted in integrity, influence, and independence.

As the Bank prepares to welcome new leadership, Adesina did not shy away from offering advice. “The responsibility of that leader is to build on the past, to look far into the future, and to find within themselves what courage it takes to stand up for Africa’s interests. To make sure that Africa’s voice is never silenced on issues that matter globally and where it matters globally.”

That charge is not rhetorical—it is strategic. Under Adesina, AfDB has not only grown its footprint but has also assumed a new stature as a respected global institution. He stressed that what began as a regional bank now commands international credibility. “The African Development Bank you have today is not the African Development Bank you used to have. This is a global institution now.”

Adesina’s remarks were heartfelt but not nostalgic. There was no romanticizing of the journey. Rather, there was grit and groundedness. Leadership, as he framed it, is not ceremonial. It’s sacrificial. The Bank’s mission to transform lives across Africa—through infrastructure, agriculture, finance, energy, and education—is bigger than any one person. It endures.

“I am proud of the transformation of the Bank,” he said. “Leadership may change, but the mission remains. The Bank’s direction is clear, its resolve strong, and its commitment to Africa’s development unshakable.”

As September 1, 2025, approaches—the date when a new president will officially take the helm—Adesina’s voice echoes not just through the halls of AfDB headquarters, but through every initiative, every community reached, and every life changed under his decade of stewardship. His legacy is not in titles or tenure. It is in impact. And above all, in mission.