H.E. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Former Vice President, Nigeria- Africa World Lectures

Professor Yemi Osinbajo served as the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for two consecutive terms, from May 2015 to May 2023. He held the position of Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, Nigeria, from 1999 to 2007, leading significant judicial reforms that would become models for other states in the Federation.

Before his political career, Professor Osinbajo was a Professor of Public Law at the University of Lagos, a founding partner of SimmonsCooper, a prominent commercial law firm in Nigeria, and earned the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. He served in the Justice Sector of the UN mission in Somalia, and was a member of the UN Secretary-General’s committee on Rules on the Conduct and discipline of Peace Keeping forces. He was the Ethics advisor to the board of the AFDB, and served as an independent director of CITIBANK Nigeria. In public service, Professor Osinbajo played key roles in the formulation and implementation of various government initiatives and policies, notably in the areas of economic reform, social investments, human Capital development, digital and creative economy, climate action, and energy security in African nations. He chaired the National Economic Council, comprising governors of all the States of Nigeria, the Inter-Ministerial Energy Transition Implementation Working Group, which was responsible for the development and execution of the Nigeria Energy Transition Plan in 2022. Three National development plans were formulated and implemented under his leadership, and he led the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Economic Sustainability Plan, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beyond his tenure in office, Professor Osinbajo remains dedicated to advocating for climate action globally. In 2023, he was appointed as Board Chair of the Climate Action Platform for Africa (CAP-A) and as a member of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation Council. He founded the North East Children’s Trust, for the creation of sustainable learning ecosystems for vulnerable children made orphans by the insurgency in North East Nigeria, co-founded Future Perspectives, an organization focused on innovation, founded Climate Positive, an independent climate action not-for-profit, and serves as Guardian of the UNDP led Africa Innovation Foundation (timbuktoo). He is also an active member of the African Leaders Debt Relief Initiative (ALDRI) along with a number of former African Heads of State, committed to addressing the urgent challenges of the sovereign debt crisis gripping the African continent.

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Co-hosted with: Princeton Institute for International & Regional Studies, Program in African Studies, Princeton African Humanities Colloquium

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