Adebayo Olukoshi

Member

Adebayo Olukoshi is a seasoned expert with over 35 years of experience in international relations, governance, and human rights, spanning both academia and intergovernmental institutions. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Politics) from the University of Leeds, England, and a Bachelor of Science (International Studies) with First Class Honours from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria.

Olukoshi began his career at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) from 1987 to 1998, progressing from Research Fellow to Research Professor. He later served as Senior Research Fellow and Research Programme Coordinator for the Research Programme on The Political and Social Context of Structural Adjustment in Sub-Saharan Africa at the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI) from 1994 to 2001. From 2001 to 2009, he was the Executive Secretary at the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA).

He went on to hold director-level positions at the African Governance Institute (AGI) in Senegal from 2010 to 2013, the United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP) in Senegal from 2009 to 2015, and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) as Director for Africa and West Asia, and Liaison Office to the African Union from 2015 to 2021.

Olukoshi has received numerous academic honors, including the Young Outstanding Person of Nigeria Award for Academic Leadership in 1990, Outstanding Academic Scholar of the Year from the University of Johannesburg in 2016, and Hall of Fame Inductee from Real News Magazine in 2018. He has held honorary positions as Norwegian Nobel Institute Visiting Fellow in 1994, Distinguished Visiting Professor at Covenant University, Nigeria from 2015 to 2016, and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg from 2016 to 2021.

Throughout his career, he has been involved with various Editorial Boards, Advisory Boards, Councils, and Committees. Currently, he serves as Chair of the Board for the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) in Maastricht, The Netherlands since 2016, and as a Member of the Governing Council at Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. Olukoshi is a prolific writer, having published 20 books, including the most recent Speaking Truth to Power: Selected Pan-African Postcards of Tajudeen Abdulraheem (2010), co-compiled with Ama Biney, as well as numerous monographs, articles, and book chapters.