The Board of Trustees of James Hope University is pleased to announce the appointment of Prof Oluyele Akinwalie Akinkugbe (Olu) as thenew President and ViceChancellor of the University, effective 16 February 2026.
This appointment marks a historic homecoming for the renowned economist and academic leader, who returns to lead the institution he helped build from the ground up as its Founding Dean. Akinkugbe’s journey with James Hope University is deeply personal.
Having played a pivotal role in establishing the University and its Business School, he now returns to steer it into its next chapter of growth and distinction.
His teaching, education system management, policy advisory, research, and consulting experience span almost every region of the world and with more than four decades of leadership experience that crisscross Africa, Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia, his appointment signals a powerful commitment to continuity, excellence, and bold ambition.
Akinkugbe’s academic foundation is rooted in rigorousquantitative analysis and its practical application. He holds a doctorate in Applied Econometrics from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, where his pioneering thesis developed a 197-equation macro-model of the Nigerian economy.
This work, completed as part of the prestigious Ford Foundation-sponsored LINK Project—a global economic modeling consortium—placed him at the frontier of macroeconomic policy translation, a lifelong commitment to bridging high-level research with real-world impact that has defined his entire career.
Over four decades, he has held leadership roles at some of the world’s most respected institutions, teaching and leading in universities across Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Eswatini, Botswana, Namibia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Cambodia, and Rwanda.
His leadership footprint is substantial: he served as Dean of the largest faculty at the University of Namibia, overseeing more than 10,000 students and close to 70 faculty and staff, and as Head of Economics at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.
Most recently, he served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Kigali, Rwanda, where he played a key role in advancing that institution’s strategic growth and global positioning. Beyond academic administration, Prof. Akinkugbe is renowned for his ability to transform institutions.
His leadership philosophy— centred on sustainable governance, financial resilience, faculty development, and deep community engagement—has resulted in successful faculty restructurings, robust quality assurance systems, and the cultivation of impactful international partnerships.
