AfDB boss eulogises Kofi Annan

PIC: Africa has lost a great gem

Akinwumi A. Adesina, the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), says the late Kofi A. Annan, the former Secretary General of the United Nations, was a his great personal mentor.

In a statement from the AfDB, he says: "He (Kofi) was a great personal mentor and father to me. His simplicity, decency, uncommon humility, selflessness and compassion made him a gem for humanity."

He adds:"He was a distinguished gentleman. He was a global icon and a man of peace who stood firmly in support of good governance and accountability for leaders."

"He was my boss as chairman of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), when I was the Vice President for AGRA. He had an infectious passion for ending hunger and poverty in Africa," he adds.

Akinwumi also said Kofi greatly supported him when he was minister of agriculture in Nigeria, when he served as a member of the Eminent Persons Group that helped to support the transformation of agriculture in Nigeria.

"He energetically co-chaired the high-level panel of global leaders to support the African Development Bank in its efforts to accelerate Africa's development. As UN Secretary General and throughout a distinguished career, Kofi made Africa stand tall globally. Africa has lost a great gem." 

"I will greatly miss him and his rich words of wisdom. May his soul rest in peace," he signed off, in a statement.