Our Team

Oreoluwa Ibukun Akano oversees Policy-research Innovation and Partnerships (PIP) at the Innovation Lab for Policy Leadership in Agriculture and Food Security (PiLAF) at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He obtained a PhD in agriculture, with a focus on climate-smart agriculture in smallholder farming systems, from the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension at North-West University, South Africa. His research interests span agricultural policy, climate-smart agriculture, food systems, inequality dynamics, shocks and policy responses, policy and investment prioritization, and value chain analytics. He has mentored graduate researchers, participated in multi-country projects, led national engagements, developed policy documents at the national and subnational levels, published research findings in reputable journals, and technical reports. Currently, he is leading efforts using a market-led approach, based on business and development scenarios, to develop an agri-food baseline outlook, roadmaps and master plans for agricultural commodities in Nigeria, aiming to position the country better to take advantage of regional and international market opportunities.