The immediate past President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has offered to support Nigeria’s development in any capacity, saying he is back home and ready to contribute his experience to the country.
Adesina made the statement while briefing State House correspondents after meeting President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
He said the meeting provided an opportunity to brief the president on his 10-year tenure at the AfDB and the bank’s financial support for Nigeria during that period.
Adesina Says He Is Ready To Serve Nigeria
Adesina said he was prepared to contribute to Nigeria’s development wherever his experience and expertise could be useful.
He stressed that his offer was motivated by a sense of duty to his country rather than a desire to secure a government appointment.
“I’m fully able to help Nigeria in any capacity. I’ve always had that. You know, my heart is always at home. And in any capacity that His Excellency feels I can help, I can help in anything. I’m not looking for a job. I’m not looking for anything. I’m just here to help,” he said.
“It’s my country. I have a duty, an obligation, and a responsibility to do so, and I will.”
The former AfDB president also said Nigeria needed to move beyond economic reforms and stabilisation towards structural transformation, stronger growth and prosperity.
He acknowledged the progress made under Tinubu’s administration but stressed the importance of sustaining the gains through broader economic development.
Adesina Says Tinubu’s Reforms Are Beginning To Yield Results
Adesina said Nigeria’s international economic perception had improved, citing foreign exchange availability, portfolio investment and inflation trends as indicators of progress.
He said more foreign exchange was available than previously and pointed to increased interest from portfolio investors.
He also noted that inflation was trending downwards, although prices of goods and services remained high.
According to Adesina, international rating agencies had assigned Nigeria stable and positive outlooks, which he cited as evidence of improving perceptions of the country’s economy.
“These are very, very important, difficult reforms, but they are beginning to bear some fruits, quite some fruits,” he said.
However, Adesina emphasised that economic stabilisation should lead to structural transformation, increased productivity and improved living standards.
He said these priorities were essential to translating reform gains into sustained economic growth and prosperity.
AfDB Provided About $7bn To Nigeria Between 2015 And 2025
Adesina also briefed Tinubu on the AfDB’s support for Nigeria during his tenure, which covered two terms and ended in 2025.
He said the bank provided approximately $7 billion in financing to Nigeria between 2015 and 2025.
According to him, the amount represented substantial support compared with the bank’s reported total financing of $11.1 billion to Nigeria since it began operations in the country in 1971.
Adesina said the president welcomed the information on the bank’s contributions during his tenure.
The financing supported the development institution’s engagement with Nigeria across its development priorities.
AfDB’s Agro-Industrial Initiative In Nigeria
Adesina also highlighted the bank’s support for agricultural development through the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) initiative.
The programme aims to promote agricultural value-chain development, strengthen domestic production, improve food security and create employment through agro-industrial investment.
The initiative’s first phase received support for implementation across eight locations: Ogun, Oyo, Cross River, Imo, Kaduna, Kwara, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory.
The second phase is intended to expand the programme to additional states and strengthen investment in agricultural processing and related infrastructure.
Adesina, a former Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, has consistently highlighted the role of agricultural transformation in improving food production and creating jobs.
His meeting with Tinubu comes as the government seeks to translate economic reforms into broader growth, investment and development outcomes.
