Nigerian Akinwumi Adesina is Forbes Africa Person of the Year

Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Akinwumi Adesina, has been named the 2013 Forbes Africa Person of the Year.

The award ceremony took place yesterday, 2 December 2013, at the Villa Rosa Kempinski Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. The Nigerian won the award narrowed than to five finalists for the Forbes Africa Person of The Year 2013 were. The other finalist were: Aliko Dangote, founder and president, Dangote Group;
Patrice Motsepe, founder and executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals; Strive Masiyiwa, founder of global telecoms group, Econet Wireless and Jim Ovia, founder of Zenith Bank Group


The Forbes Africa Person of the Year has, since its inception two years ago, reportedly attracted the highest calibre of nominees from across the continent.

Says Chris Bishop, Forbes Africa's managing editor: "It was an honour to present this award in Kenya, for the first time, in the month of the country's 50th birthday. Akinwumi Adesina was considered a worthy winner by the judges as he is a man on a mission to help Africa feed itself. We hope it will encourage the rest of the continent to grow more of its own food. Also, last year, we presented a Kenyan with the award in Nigeria - this year it was the other way round, which shows how much Forbes Africa is pan African."