Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank, has been named the winner of this year’s World Food Prize.
The prestigious U.S.$250,000 prize is given annually to a person who has worked to advance human development by “improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world”. .
Over a 31-year existence, the award has become known as the ‘Nobel Prize’ for food and agriculture. .
Monday’s announcement by the president of the World Food Prize, Kenneth Quinn, was made at a ceremony held at the U.S. Department of Agriculture attended by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue. .
Since its founding in 1986, the Prize has honoured 45 individuals for their outstanding contributions to food security around the world.