Akinwumi Adesina, the former African Development Bank president, has been appointed chairman of Botswana’s Diamonds for Development Fund, a new initiative aimed at using the country’s diamond wealth to drive economic diversification, job creation and long term development.
The appointment was announced by the Government of Botswana and De Beers Group, which jointly established the fund as part of efforts to ensure that revenues from diamonds deliver broader economic benefits for citizens.
Read also:A legacy etched in transformation: Celebrating President Akinwumi Adesina’s decade at the helm of the African Development Bank
Adesina, a development economist with nearly four decades of experience in African and global development, will formally assume the role on June 15, 2026, according to De Beers Group.
His appointment comes months after completing a decade long tenure as president of the African Development Bank Group, where he oversaw a major expansion of the institution’s capital base and championed initiatives designed to boost investment, infrastructure and energy access across the continent.
