Hon Minister Mallam Adamu Bello is a technocrat who has headed Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as well as the consolidated Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources.
Hon Minister Bello holds a BSc Degree in Economics from ABU, Zaria; an MBA from the Uni of Pittsburgh; and an Advanced Management Program certificate from the Harvard Business School.
An accomplished banker, Hon Minister Bello started his career in 1976 as an Investment Executive at the New Nigerian Development Company (NNDC) and then became the General Manager of New-Devco Finance, a subsidiary of NNDC. From there, he joined Habib Bank as Deputy Managing Director and rose to Managing Director and Chief Executive. He went on to become a financial adviser, a real estate mogul and significant shareholder in numerous ventures until his nomination as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Intercity Bank Plc in 1998. Subsequently, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Habib Nigeria Bank Ltd in 1999, a position from which he received his nomination as the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in January 2001.
During his tenure, the Ministry successfully regulated and ensured the attractiveness of the Nigerian agricultural sector, taking its growth rate from 2.95% in 2001 to 7.4% in 2007. The Ministry also improved conditions in rural agriculture areas including their road network to urban markets and their water facilities to aid the irrigation of farmlands. When the Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development and the Ministry of Water Resources merged in 2007, Hon Minister Bello became the substantive Minister of Agriculture & Water Resources.
His effectiveness in his portfolio made him one of the longest-serving members of the Federal Cabinet and Ministers of Agriculture in Nigeria.
The Honourable Minister Bello is currently also the Chairman of the Jaiz Charity Foundation.
Along with his two chieftaincy titles, Hon. Min. Bello is also: a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Nigeria (FCIB); an Honorary Doctor; a Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR); a recipient of numerous leadership awards and nominations in Nigeria.
