The Thought Leader
Omoaholo Omoakhalen has a unique multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving and innovation, deploying models from complex systems in addition to a broad range of competencies spanning research, policy analysis, statecraft, international law, strategy, political economy, philosophy, branding, and business development. He has more than a decade of experience in development, facilitating solutions in diverse sectors including politics and governance, peacebuilding, national and international security, science, technology and innovation, infrastructure delivery, education, healthcare, youth development, community development, and the creative industries.
In the course of his career, Omoaholo has served as Director of Research and Policy Development at the International Centre for Reconstruction and Development (ICRD) and has provided policy and political strategy solutions to individual and institutional stakeholders in Nigerian and African politics and governance. An award-winning alumnus of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG)-LEAP Africa Bridge Fellowship, Omoaholo has been engaged in the Infrastructure Policy Commission of the NESG as well as the Infrastructure Thematic Working Group of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Medium Term National Development Plan (2021-2025). In 2023, Omo emerged as the Overall Best Fellow at the Emerging Political Leaders Fellowship (EPLF).
Omoaholo Omoakhalen is engaged in thought leadership on the evolution of democracy and technology. He is a member of the Allen Lab for Democracy Innovation’s Governance of Emerging Technology and Tech Innovations (GETTING-Plurality) Network at Harvard University and, by that involvement, is an affiliate of Harvard University’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. At the Allen Lab, he engages in discourses and research on the governance of Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies. As part of the Plurality Community, he contributed to the book, The Future of Collaborative Technology and Democracy and facilitated collaborations between the movement’s leaders and some of Africa’s thought leaders. He is also a member of the Next Generation Foresight Practitioners (NGFP) Network at the School of International Futures (SOIF). Omoaholo has also featured on and made insightful presentations on physical and virtual panels on Africa.
In addition to a Bachelor of Science in Cell Biology and Genetics and a Master of International Law and Diplomacy (MILD) from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, Omoaholo has a Certificate in Public Leadership and Policy (CPLP) from the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG). He also holds certificates from the Harvard XSeries Program on United States Government, courtesy of Harvard Kennedy School, United States; certificates in Global Business and Business and Culture in Sub-Saharan Africa from Nexford University, United States; a certificate on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) and its application to business, courtesy of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University; and an mMBA and a certificate in Business Innovation, Growth, and Sustainability from Tekedia Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.