DR AKANIMO ODON PROFILE

Dr Akanimo Odon holds a master’s degree in Environmental Rehabilitation, a PhD in Environmental Management from Lancaster University, UK and business and enterprise certifications and fellowships from Cambridge University UK, Stanford University USA and MIT USA. He specializes in cross-border education and innovations in research and is an expert in navigating, developing and managing relationships between academia, government and industry in Africa for economic viability, research impact and student employability. He has been Africa Strategy Adviser for Aberystwyth University, University of Strathclyde; University of East Anglia; and currently he is the African Regional Adviser for the University of London, the Africa Adviser for Lancaster University and the Africa director for Zurich Elite Business School Switzerland.

He has delivered training to over 40 African Universities especially on internationalization of education and research strategies and bridging gaps between academia and industry. He is also currently the Africa Adviser on the 7 million pounds UK Government Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Lancaster University RECIRCULATE project which focuses on capacity building for a circular water economy in six African countries – Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia and Botswana. He is also African Adviser on the 20 million pounds UK Government GCRF Strathclyde University One Oceans Management project in Africa; and also Africa Adviser on the current 700,000 pounds Waste to Energy Project in African Universities (ACTUATE Project) and sits as a member of the Board of Directors of the largest and most reputable Think-Tank organization in Africa, the Africa Technology Policy Studies Network, ATPS, headquartered in Nairobi Kenya.

In the last ten years, Odon has organized and facilitated over 50 Africa-focused international workshops and conferences; liaised and collaborated with government, industries and academia in over 30 African countries; designed and implemented over 40 strategic capacity building and knowledge transfer schemes and programmes; delivered innovative research impact and management training to over a thousand African researchers and mentored over 2000 young African researchers.