The new Country Director in Nigeria will oversee the coordination and implementation of ongoing and future AGNES activities in the country. He will also lead initiatives that serve as a hub for the interface of science, policy, and climate action in Nigeria.
The African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES) has appointed Dr. David Olufemi Awolala as Country Director for Nigeria. He will oversee the coordination and implementation of ongoing and future AGNES activities, develop platform for research and policy project engagements, and strengthen institutional partnerships with governments, civil society, academia, research centres, development partners, and other non-state actors. He will lead initiatives that serve as a hub for the interface of science, policy, and climate action in Nigeria.
An accomplished agricultural and climate change economist, researcher and policy expert with 20 years of experience working across resource and environmental economics, climate-risk management, and sustainable development, as an Associate Professor. Prior to this appointment, Awolala had served as AGNES Director of Technical Services, providing technical leadership to programmes that translate scientific evidence into climate negotiations, evidence-based policy processes, and investment solutions across climate-sensitive sectors.
He began his academic career at The Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Nigeria, in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, where he trained over 500 early career scientists. Awolala has contributed to initiatives addressing production economics, climate information services, climate risk preparedness, adaptation finance, weather insurance, gender-responsive climate action, resilient agriculture. He also has experience in project impact evaluation, agribusiness development, and economic modelling for climate-related investments. His research work has involved collaboration with government institutions, universities, international research organisations, and development partners.
Awolala holds a PhD in Climate Change Economics from the Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) Dakar, Senegal, in collaboration with the Center for Development Research (ZEFb), Universitat Bonn, Germany under the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) doctoral research programme. He is a Fellow of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Climap Africa Programme, the Global Challenges United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) supported African Science for Weather Information and Forecasting Techniques (SWIFT) Programme, and the African Climate Change Fellowship Programme (ACCFP). He has authored over 50 publications in production management, environmental governance, climate adaptation and econometric modelling.
Awolala’s appointment reaffirms AGNES’ resolve to strengthen in-country climate action beyond negotiations and through the Nigeria Office, and to extend technical support in research development, policy engagement, and partnerships for socially inclusive, climate-resilient, and low-emission development that aligns with national priorities and the transformational agenda.