Former Chief of Staff to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, has been appointed a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Center for Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania, United States.
The appointment, another cap to his decades-long career in diplomacy, academia, and public service, was approved by the university’s School of Arts and Sciences and will run from January 1 to August 31, 2026, according to an official letter issued by the Center.
The Director of the Center for Africana Studies, Professor Wale Adebanwi, in a correspondence, said the institution was pleased to host the veteran diplomat as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar.
“I am delighted to inform you that the School of Arts and Sciences has approved our request to appoint you as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Center for Africana Studies for the period of January 1, 2026, through August 31, 2026,” the letter stated.
The Center added that the appointment might be renewed and that Gambari would receive a Penn Card, as well as access to the university’s libraries and academic resources. It also noted that the appointment would facilitate the writing and completion of Professor Gambari’s long-awaited memoir.
A seasoned scholar and diplomat, Gambari previously served as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and later as United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, where he handled conflict mediation and international diplomacy across several regions.
He also held positions as Minister of External Affairs and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, while maintaining a strong academic footprint as a professor of political science and international relations.
In Nigeria, Gambari founded the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, Abuja, a policy think tank focused on governance, peacebuilding, and democratic development across Africa.
He served as Chief of Staff to the President between 2020 and 2023, coordinating federal government operations during a period marked by security, economic, and public health challenges.
The University of Pennsylvania said it looked forward to his scholarly contributions to Africana Studies and global policy discourse during his tenure.
Gambari is Nigeria’s longest-serving Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, holding the position from January 1990 to October 1999, nearly a decade, during which he served under five different Nigerian Heads of State/Presidents.
During Nigeria’s tenure as a non-permanent member, he served as President of the UN Security Council (on a rotational basis), presiding over deliberations on global peace and security issues.
He oversaw diplomatic initiatives aimed at preventing conflicts and managing political crises, contributing to negotiations, election support missions, and peace processes in several countries.
He was also appointed the UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Myanmar, where he led sensitive diplomatic missions to engage the military government and opposition, including pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, during periods of political repression.
