Dr. Monisoye Olorunsola Afolabi has had a professional career of over 30 years as academician, administrator, diplomat, computer specialist and international development expert.
After obtaining a first class degree in Mathematics at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria in 1973, Dr. Afolabi was awarded a Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship to the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada in 1974 where he obtained a Master of Mathematics (M.Math) Degree in Computer Science (1976) and a Ph.D in Computer Science (1979).
Dr. Afolabi assumed duty in the Department of Computer Sciences of the University of Lagos in 1979 and later joined the University of Ilorin, in 1982 as Chief Systems Analyst and Head of the Computer Center and was appointed Director of the Centre in 1987.
Dr. Afolabi was appointed the Pioneer Director of the Community Computer Centre of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in May 1989.
In 2005-2007, Dr. Afolabi served as Acting Deputy Executive Secretary Of ECOWAS in charge of Integration Programmes. In this capacity, he supervised Technical Departments responsible for Human Development (Education, Health, Youth, and Gender, Drug Control, etc.), Infrastructure (ICT, Energy, Transport), and Agriculture including Rural Development. He retired from ECOWAS Commission in October 2010.
Dr Afolabi served as Director of Business Environment at the USAID West Africa Trade Hub in Accra, Ghana in from March 2011 to July 2013. In this role, he coordinated trade facilitation policy implementation (trade, customs, transport, and ICT) towards improving the business environment in the ECOWAS sub-region. He directly supervised the establishment of the Borderless Alliance, a private sector advocacy platform for trade and transport facilitation. Also, he supervised the establishment of Border Information Centres for information dissemination, technical assistance, and advocacy at 8 borders in West Africa. These initiatives derived from the recommendations of a meeting with the ECOWAS Member States, ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS, and
Development Partners, to discuss the reports of the Trade Hub, ATP and the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organizations on trade facilitation challenges in West Africa.
Dr Afolabi later served, from July 2013 to April 2014, as the Business Environment Adviser at the Borderless Alliance where he provided strategic orientation to the Executive Secretariat and the Executive Committee of the Alliance.
Dr Afolabi is currently the Trade and Transport Enabling Environment Lead at the USAID West Africa Trade Hub Network and African Partnership Project (Project) where he coordinates trade and transport facilitation towards enhancing the business environment in West Africa.
Dr Afolabi was born in 1950, and is married with children and grandchildren.
