Abidjan (AFP)

The son of a poor peasant who has become a super-banker of Africa, the Nigerian Akinwumi Adesina is in the midst of turmoil, targeted by accusations of prevarication and an unprecedented sling within the African Development Bank (ADB) which he presides.

Late Thursday evening, the ax fell: after two weeks of procrastination and consultations of all the governors, the AfDB resolved, under pressure from the United States, to authorize an independent investigation into the internal procedure which exonerated its president of serious accusations launched by a group of Bank employees, anonymous "whistleblowers".

A decision that greatly weakens the position of Mr. Adesina, yet the only candidate for re-election for a second five-year term, accused of "unethical behavior, personal enrichment and favoritism", among others.

"There have always been maneuvers during the elections of the president of the AfDB, but a public scandal of this magnitude is unprecedented," said a diplomat, while the election is to take place in late August.

"The personality of Akinwumi Adesina is also new," judges an Ivorian economist. "It is exuberant, undoubtedly too visible for the muffled world of the bank, to give an impression of arrogance, to allow everything".

Charismatic, handsome speaker, English speaker but perfectly fluent in French, this excellent communicator, always elegantly dressed in suits and bow ties, has indeed given international visibility to the Pan-African development institution founded in 1964, attracting capital and multiplying announcements of project funding on the continent.

A path so far flawless for this economist specializing in agriculture and development, born into a family of farmers in the state of Ogun (southwestern Nigeria) on February 6, 1960, and who gradually climbed the ladder .

Graduated with a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics from the University of Ife (southwestern Nigeria), then a doctorate from the prestigious Purdue University in the United States in 1988, he worked as an economist in institutions international agricultural workers, collaborated with the Rockefeller Foundation, then became one of the leaders of the Alliance for the Green Revolution in Africa (Agra).

- New fight -

In 2011, it was the political consecration in his country: he was appointed Minister of Agriculture. His action to develop the agricultural sector will be widely praised, to the point of earning him international media recognition: he was elected "African personality of the year" by Forbes magazine in 2013.

In 2015, he took over after intense lobbying by the presidency of the AfDB, one of the five major multilateral development banks, succeeding the Rwandan Donald Kaberuka.

With the support of the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), his re-election for a second term seemed secure until six months ago. Before the scandal broke out.

At 60, Akinwumi Adesina therefore embarks on a new fight, with his usual lyricism, to defend his "honor" and his "integrity", summoning the memory of his "heroes" Nelson Mandela, Koffi Annan and Martin Luther King.

He said in a statement in late May that he received "enormous support from around the world". In practice, only Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who received him in Abuja on Tuesday, publicly supports him. No other African head of state has spoken.

Adesina, on the other hand, has a strong opponent in his re-election, the United States, followed by the eurozone countries and the Scandinavian countries, according to observers.

Inside the AfDB, in Abidjan where it sits, languages ​​have been loosening for a few months, employees reproaching Mr. Adesina for his excess of power, or even for leading by "terror", which led to a hemorrhage of executives since his arrival.

"He has made many enemies by trying to reform the bank, he has particularly favored English speakers over French speakers," nuances the Ivorian economist.

Still on the condition of anonymity, executives also accuse him of communicating more than acting, and of exaggeratingly embellishing his balance sheet.

Apparently impertubable, Akinwumi Adesina said that he will continue "to work (...) to accomplish the mission of our founders, to accelerate the development of Africa".

© 2020 AFP