Global Skills Hub, United Kingdom has selected Professor Anthony Enisan Akinlo as one of The 100 Most Impactful Educational Personalities in Africa.

In a letter, announcing the selection, the Head of African Operations, Global Skills Hub, Dr Akhere Akran, stated that the nomination was a product of a rigorous and highly competitive selection process that evaluated outstanding educational leaders, policymakers, researchers, innovators, and practitioners from across the African continent.

“Your exceptional leadership, commitment to educa tional excellence, and sustained contributions to advancing education have distinguished you as one of Africa’s most influential education personalities.”

Akran said the award will be presented during the 5th Africa Education Summit and Conference at the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, on 22-23 March 2027.

“The summit, themed “Transforming Education in Africa: Innovation, Inclusion, and International Partnerships,” will bring together leading educators, vice-chancellors, policymakers, government officials, development partners, school leaders, researchers, and international education stakeholders to explore innovative solutions and strengthen collaborations that will shape the future of education across Africa.”

It added that there is no nomination or recognition fee associated with the honour, as recipients are not required to pay any fee for receiving the recognition other than the standard Africa Education Summit registration fee, which applies to all delegates attending the summit

Professor Akinlo’s leadership record demonstrates transformative institutional impact at the highest level. He rose through accelerated promotion from Assistant Lecturer to Professor, becoming Professor and Head of the Department of Economics, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, in 2000. He went on to serve as Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences; Director, Centre for Industrial Research and Development (2007-2011); and a long-standing member of the University Senate since 2000.

His most significant institutional achievement came as Vice-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, between October 2018 and September 2023, where his leadership led to the institution being ranked by the National Universities Commission (NUC) as the 2021 Best Private University and the second-best University in Nigeria overall.

Under his stewardship, the university’s World Bank-sponsored African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) won the 2021 Nigerian Academy of Science Gold Medal Prize for Life Sciences, establishing it as a continental powerhouse in infectious disease control.

With over 35 years of academic service, Professor Akinlo has authored over 150 peer-reviewed publications, 27+ book chapters, and numerous conference papers, with work published in leading journals including Energy Economics, Economic Research, African Development Review, Indian Journal of Economics, Journal of Policy Modelling, and Applied Economics. His scholarship has generated more than 6,200 citations, an h-index of 32, and an i10-index exceeding 70-metrics that place him among Africa’s most cited economists.

Beyond publication metrics, his contribution to human capital development is exceptional. He has supervised 31 PhD, 6 MPhil, and 30 master’s students to completion, of whom 10 are now full professors, and 6 are associate professors across universities in Nigeria and abroad. He has also examined over 120 PhD theses and assessed 95 colleagues for professorial promotion, extending his impact well beyond his own institution.