MEET THE PRESIDENT

Gbadebo Odularu

Gbadebo Odularu is a world-renowned applied economist with an extensive career spanning nearly three decades of teaching, research, and socioeconomic development policy analysis. Dr. Odularu has upheld career faculty positions at Howard UniversityVirginia Military InstituteBay Atlantic UniversityMarymount UniversityCovenant UniversityUniversity of Ibadan, and Obafemi Awolowo University.

In addition to his role as the President of the African Finance and Economic Association and the Chief Executive Director (CED) of No Hunger Food Bank, his research interests are diverse and interdisciplinary, focusing on digitalization and emerging technologies in agrifood transformation systemsmaternal newborn, and child nutrition interventionsregional trade facilitationethical property rights, and sustainable developmentvalue chain analysisclimate-smart agriculturesocioeconomic shockscompetition policies, and disparities in labor markets outcomes.

His keen desire in advancing knowledge and research frontiers has earned him numerous research fellowship opportunities at the  World Trade Organization (WTO)University of Oxford Center for the Study of African Economies (CSAE)Princeton University Pan African Scientific Research Council (PASRC)Leiden University African Studies Centre (ASC), Korean Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP)National Economic Association – Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity Diversity Initiative for Tenure in Economics (DITE)United Nations Institute for Economic Development Planning (UNIDEP)African Growth and Development Policy Modelling Consortium (AGODEP)Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER)African Economic Research ConsortiumUnited Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Center for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA-Africa), Trade Policy Training Center in Africa (TRAPCA), China Agricultural University (CAU)Nigerian Economic Summit Group, and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA).

Gbadebo Odularu has authored, edited, and published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. His work has earned him several academic honors, awards, and opportunities to consult on socioeconomic development, agricultural transformation, and artificial intelligence projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. He holds a PhD from the University of Sunderland, United Kingdom.