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Please see below. PS. Jo Ann Emerson returned to US yesterday.

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From: Marshall Matz
Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2015 11:40 AM
To: Marshall Matz
Subject: Swearing in ceremony President Adesina


Please find attached the remarks of Dr. Akin Adesina upon being sworn in as President of the African Development Bank. He is the first person to take on that position from an agriculture background. He was the Minister of Ag in Nigeria and the VP for policy at AGRA.

Note his emphasis on ag. This is a very big deal for the future growth of Africa. Marshall

* Ladies and gentlemen, Africa must feed itself. It is inconceivable that a continent with abundant arable land, water, diverse agro-ecological richness and sunshine is a net food- importing region. And Africa has 65% of all the arable land left in the world to meet the food needs of 9 billion people on the planet by 2050. This is a huge untapped potential and Africa cannot eat potential...

* Only by rapidly transforming the agriculture sector can Africa meet the growing food needs of its urban population, while boosting incomes for millions of its farmers - majority of whom are women - and creating much needed jobs...

* We must think differently: grow agriculture as a business, to become a wealth-creating sector, not one for managing poverty. This will excite the youths to see agriculture as a viable business. By moving away from exporting primary commodities, to developing agro-allied industrial zones in rural areas, Africa will expand its ability to export processed cocoa not cocoa beans, processed coffee not coffee beans, textile instead of cotton...

* Africa will add value to all its staple foods. Africa will move up the value chain of wealth, diversify its economies, expand foreign exchange earnings, and reduce food import bills, boosting fiscal and macroeconomic stability of countries. Africa will finally take full advantage of its soil wealth, not just oil or mineral wealth. The Bank will prioritize agriculture and food security for the regional member countries...

* Ladies and gentlemen, five priorities will shape our work at the Bank under my Presidency as we advance the implementation of the Bank's Ten Year Strategy: Light up and Power Africa. Feed Africa. Integrate Africa. Industrialize Africa. Improve quality of life for the people of Africa..