Ademola A. Adenle

The first winner of the M.S. Swaminathan Award for Food and Peace is Ademola A. Adenle — a scientist from Nigeria.                                     

Who is Ademola A. Adenle?
Adenle is a Nigerian scholar and sustainability expert. 
He serves as Senior Special Adviser on Agricultural Innovation to Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. 
In 2024, he was elected as a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), acknowledging his contributions to science and development in Africa. Adenle’s work spans a broad, interdisciplinary range — combining natural sciences, social sciences and policy. Key focus areas include:
Agricultural innovation and food security. 
Climate change adaptation and climate justice. 
Renewable energy and energy poverty (especially in rural/marginalized communities). 
Public health, environment, and sustainable development — with the view that technology and science should help uplift vulnerable populations. 
Policy advocacy — working at the nexus of science, innovation policy and governance, to influence agriculture, sustainability and development policies across Africa. 
He has led major research and development projects — including what’s described as Africa’s largest study on GM agriculture, and a national soil-management policy (in Nigeria) under a programme supported by USAID’s Feed the Future initiative.                                                                          Why He’s in the News — and What He’s Been Awarded?
In 2025, Adenle became the first-ever recipient of the new global Global M.S. Swaminathan Award for Food and Peace, established by the The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in honour of the legendary agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan. 
The award was presented in New Delhi, India, during the centenary conference marking Swaminathan’s birth centenary in August 2025. 
He was recognized for “groundbreaking contributions to food security, climate justice, sustainable agriculture, public health, and empowerment of vulnerable communities” across Africa and the developing world. 
Following the award, the head of Nigeria’s government, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, officially received Adenle at the Presidential Villa, praising the global honour as bringing pride to Nigeria. 
New Initiatives
As part of his future plans, Adenle announced he would launch a “Women in Biosciences Initiative” — a programme aimed at:
Enhancing rural agricultural productivity through training, entrepreneurship, and adoption of technology/innovation. 
Addressing malnutrition and water-borne diseases in rural communities. 
Promoting renewable energy solutions (especially solar power) to reduce energy poverty in marginalized areas. 
The ambition is to implement the initiative in collaboration with the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) — extending its legacy beyond India to Africa and other developing regions.