Outgoing President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has earned praise for his stewardship at the Pan-African financial giant. In a letter dated August 4, 2025 and addressed to Dr. Adesina, Ambassador Dr O. Awolowo Dosumu,

Executive Director of Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, Nigeria, hailed the renowned technocrat, saluting his ?unprecedented leader remarkable legacy you leave behind.?

The letter reads:

?Dear Dr. Adesina,

?As your extraordinary decade at the helm of the African Development Bank draws to a hip, enduring vision, and the close, I write to salute your unprecedented leader remarkable legacy you leave behind.

?Over the past ten years, you have redefined development leadership in Africa. Under your stewardship, the African Development Bank has become not just a financial institution but a bold instrument of transformation, driven by purpose, guided by innovation, and grounded in the firm belief that Africa's best days are ahead.

?Your recognition as the 2023 recipient of the prestigious Obafemi Awowolo Prize for Leadership was a powerful testament to the esteem in which you are held. The massive continent-wide turnout at the award ceremony, graced by no fewer than five African heads of state and an outpouring of goodwill messages from across the continent and beyond, left no-one in any doubt that your leadership has inspired an entire generation.

?Initiatives such as the High 5s, Feed Africa, Desert to Power, and your steady focus on mobilising capital for climate and infrastructure financing have created pathways for millions and shifted the narrative about what is possible in Africa. You have been not only a builder of institutions but also a builder of hope.

?As you conclude this chapter, please accept my deepest admiration. And gratitude. Your impact is indelible, and your voice will remain vital in shaping Africa's future, wherever your journey may take you next.

?With profound respect and warmest regards,

?Ambassador Dr O. Awolowo Dosumu

?Executive Director

?Obafemi Awolowo Foundation?.

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