In the 2023 commencement address at Oxford University's Saïd Business School, the African Development Bank President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, urged the graduating MBA students to apply their newly acquired skills and knowledge to address pressing global issues such as climate change and world hunger. He emphasized the unacceptable reality of 2.3 billion people facing hunger daily and underscored the graduates' responsibility as change-makers equipped with world-class education.
He highlighted various global challenges, including the lack of access to essential amenities such as electricity, clean water, sanitation, and basic financial services that billions face worldwide. Adesina urged graduates to work towards ensuring a better future for the 244 million children not attending school, including 129 million girls.
Adesina insisted on the need for a restructured global financial system to address these challenges more effectively and urged the graduates to lead efforts in directing the $145 trillion managed by global pension funds and institutional investors towards the collective good. He also encouraged them to be selfless, promote transparency and inclusion, and avoid corporate greed's corruptive influences.
In addition to Adesina, Saïd Business School faculty members encouraged the graduates to dream big, take up leadership roles, and make positive impacts in the world. They were also advised to forge their paths confidently, while promoting unity and addressing global issues such as the looming new Cold War and global warming.
At the end of the event, Adesina engaged with some of the African graduates, discussing leadership, the future of Africa, and the role of youth in its development.