Prof. SUNDAY OLUKOLADE ODEKUNLE

Prof. Sunday Olukolade Odekunle is the Director, Research and Development Office. He is a Professor in the Department of Business Administration,  KolaDaisi University, Ibadan, Oyo State.

He started his career from the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Ibadan when joined the service of the Institute on 30th September, 1990 as a Research Assistant. He obtained his master’s degree in 1991 and a scholarship to study Development Studies in Germany for another master’s degree. When he came back from Germany, he enrolled for PhD programme in 1995. He defended his PhD in 2001 with the assistance of NISER Management. Then rose through the ranks to become Research Professor in 2012. Honestly, when his letter of appointment was handed to him, there and then he was thinking about the letter of retirement. This gave him the opportunity to be focused, determined and of course be patient in order to achieve his dream.

He had taught courses in Business concepts, principles and theories, business management, insurance, human resources development and utilization, market environment especially as it relates to business enterprises at the Polytechnic Ibadan Eruwa campus (NCE Technical) as well as at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in universities in Nigeria. Apart from this, he has taught several courses and presented various seminar papers on Entrepreneurship Development, Management, Theories and Practice, Informal Sector, Small Scale Enterprises and Promotion at home and abroad. Moreover, he had successfully supervised five doctoral students and over 40 First Degree and Master Degree projects at Ambrosse Alli University, Ekpoma, Lead City University, Ibadan and University of Ibadan respectively.

PUBLICATIONS AND JOURNALS (INTERNATIONAL/LOCAL)

He has published well over 60 scholarly articles in reputable journals and chapters in books locally and internationally. He co-authored a book on ‘Tackling Innovation Deficit: An Analysis of University-Firm Interaction in Nigeria” sponsored by the IDRC in collaboration with Human Resource Council of South Africa. As a Research Professor, He has participated in producing several research reports and policy briefs commissioned by the Federal Government of Nigeria, UNESCO, IDRC, UNDP

I have well over 33 years of research experience and skills in the field of micro, small and medium business/ enterprises promotion and training in developing countries. I have worked and interacted with senior-level technocrats and higher education researchers across the world on projects sponsored by the Think Tank Initiative of Canada, UNICEF, UNDP, ILO, USAID, DFID, ,Life Vanguards with Comic Relief in the United Kingdom, Carnegie, ,World Bank and a host of others.

Leadership Responsibilities

I have acted as Head, Manpower Planning and Utilisation Division between 2005 and 2006, Director of the Department of Human Resources Development and Utilization, NISER, between 2006 and 2011, Head, Social Sector Group, NISER, Ibadan from 2011 to 2015, Director of Social and Governance Policy Research Department, between 2016 and 2018 and Head, Human Capital Policy Department between 2018 and 2022 when l voluntarily retired from the service of the federal government. I also acted as Deputy Director – General between January 1^st, 2019 and February 24^th, 2022.