Dr Jumoke Oduwole
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos
Dr Jumoke Oduwole MFR teaches international economic law at Faculty of Law, University of Lagos,
Nigeria. She served in President Buhari’s Administration from November 2015 to May 2023, first as
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade & Investment, where she was
instrumental in the conceptualization and formation of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations,
and as Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business. She and her team facilitated the
mandate of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) from ideation;
developing and implementing measurable and impactful reforms and policies for micro, small and
medium-sized enterprises. Under her watch, Nigeria moved up an unprecedented 39 places in the
World Bank’s Doing Business rankings and was twice recognized as a top ten reformed economy in
three years.
Jumoke is a global thought leader, writer and has presented at several renowned institutions,
conferences and forums. From 2013 to 2015 she was holder of the Prince Claus Chair in development
and equity at the International Institute of Social Studies, The Hague. She is a 2013 Archbishop
Desmond Tutu Fellow, African Leadership Institute, South Africa, an inaugural member of President
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s Amujae initiative (2020), and member, 6th cohort of Africa Leadership
Initiative West Africa (ALIWA, AGLN).
Jumoke sits on the Board of Trustees of the Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS),
South Africa and previously served on the Board of Ecobank Nigeria. From 2000 to 2004 she worked
in investment and corporate banking. In 2022 she was appointed Governance Advisor to
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Governance Lab and has been the recipient of a number
of awards, including a national honour, Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).
Dr Oduwole holds an LL.B from University of Lagos, an LL.M from Cambridge University, a JSM
and JSD both from Stanford Law School, and is called to the Nigerian Bar. While an M-RCBG Senior
Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, Jumoke will interrogate the role of businesses in strengthening
government reforms. Her faculty mentor is John Donahue, Raymond Vernon Senior Lecturer in
Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.
