African Development President Akiwumi Adesina was named Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion (Grand Officier de l'Ordre National du Lion), one of Senegal's highest honours, on Friday, October 23 in Dakar, Senegal.

Adesina received the decoration from Senegalese President Macky Sall, who saluted the AfDB President for his commitment to take African agriculture to a higher level that will make it the true engine of Africa's economic growth. The decoration took place on the last day of the high-level conference on agriculture that took place in Dakar, Senegal, from October 21-23, 2015.

Speaking on the occasion, Adesina accepted the medal on behalf of the staff members of the African Development Bank. "The symbol of the lion should means a lot to us, in the sense that it should push us to move fast and deliver results in an efficient way," he said.

Adesina particularly thanked President Sall for the support and hospitality paid to the AfDB and its partners during the three-day Feeding Africa conference on Africa's agricultural transformation.

"The leadership and political will of President Macky Sall were there throughout the meeting. They helped to reinforce partners' commitment. His support was very helpful and we would like to express to him our gratitude," Adesina said.