’Dapo Oyewole is a multi-skilled public policy, international development, global affairs, communications and strategy execution expert with over 20 years’ experience working in Africa, Europe and the US. He is also a seasoned policy analyst, adviser, speaker, author, conference moderator/chair, trainer and media commentator. He also mentors promising young people for careers in public policy, governance and international development.
Dapo has held senior positions in the international development and public sector consulting sector as Director of Public Sector Development (EMEA region) at the Palladium Group – the international development consulting firm and also as Senior Public Sector Adviser at McKinsey & Co., where he spearheaded engagement with government and donors on public sector and development-centered projects. In public service, he has also served in appointed government positions as Special Adviser on International & Interparliamentary Affairs to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and previously as a senior Adviser to two Nigerian government Ministers at the ministries of Finance as well as the Presidency’s National Planning Commission – with donor coordination, development policy, international affairs and strategic planning as his primary portfolios. Prior to these, he headed the Research, Policy and Strategy Team of SPARC – the UK’s Department for International Development’s (DFID) public sector technical assistance programme in Nigeria; and was Executive Director of the policy think tank the Centre for African Public Policy & Strategy (CAPPS). He also headed the Centre for Democracy & Development (CDD) both in the UK. He started his career at the policy think tank the Institute for Security Studies and Amnesty International both in South Africa, and has since served as a senior consultant to several multilateral and bilateral agencies, such as UKAID/DFID, several United Nations agencies, the World Bank, the Commonwealth Secretariat etc.
Since 2001, he has been an on-air Africa analyst and commentator for several international media agencies such as CNN, BBC TV & radio, Al Jazeera, NPR, Reuters and Financial Times etc. He is also a regular speaker at global events on policy, governance, development, African affairs and human security. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he led the Covid-19 Response Strategy Team (CRST) at the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, which produced the first Covid-19 Intervention Plan. He also wrote the e-book ‘Ten Lesson African Leaders Must Learn in Tackling the Covid-19 Pandemic’ in May 2020 to help shape policy thinking in Africa at the height of the pandemic. His TedxTalk in 2012 called ‘Development as Dignity’ was named one of the ‘Top 5 Global Development Ted Talks You Should Watch’ by FXB. His co-edited book with the same title was published by the Aspen Institute in 2018 and he also hosts ‘DapodCast – The Policy & Development Podcast’ – which aims to help shape and inspire innovative thinking in the field of public policy, governance, global affairs and international development, while placing ‘dignity’ at the heart of the development discourse.
Honours, Awards & Memberships
- Aspen New Voices Fellowship, 2016
- Yale World Fellowship, 2008
- Recognition of contributions to UK-Africa Policy at Buckingham Palace by Queen of England Elizabeth II, 2007
- Commendation for contribution to UK-Africa Policy at No. 10 Downing Street by Prime Minister from Tony Blair and Cherie Blair (QC), 2006
- Ambassador for Peace Award by the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace for work in promoting peace and development in Africa, 2005
- Advisory Board Member – International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), London, 2005
- Winner 1st Prize – Perspective Europe’s ‘European Management Conference Essay Competition Award’, essay titled ‘Back To The Future: Preparing for Success in an Uncertain World’; 2003
- Founding Member and Vice-President Toastmasters International, Pretoria, South Africa, 1999 – 2000,
- Member, Africa Leadership Network
- Member, BMW Responsible Leaders Network
