Fikayo Akeredolu selected as World Bank 2025 Africa Fellow
Congratulations to DPhil in Politics student Fikayo Akeredolu, who has been named as a World Bank 2025 Africa Fellow.
The World Bank Group (WBG) Africa Fellowship Program has been running since 2013. It provides a six-month WBG assignment to early career African researchers who are completing or have recently completed their PhDs in an area relevant to the work of the World Bank.
While gaining hands-on experience in the operations of the organisation, the Fellows benefit from and contribute to research and innovation in multiple sectors.
Over the course of the fellowship, Fikayo will be working with the Climate Finance Mobilization Unit (SCCFM), focusing on results-based climate finance and land use investments.
Fikayo commented that the fellowship reflects the importance of grounding policy in regional expertise and context-sensitive analysis. She hopes to build bridges between academic research and policy implementation — especially around the role of African institutions in leading climate action.
She added:
“Being selected as a 2025 World Bank Africa Fellow is an incredible honour and a meaningful opportunity to apply my academic work to real-world policy challenges.
“I’m grateful and excited to take on this role. As someone who’s passionate about driving energy transitions in Africa, this fellowship offers a rare platform to work directly with policymakers, climate finance experts, and country teams.
“It’s both a personal milestone and a step forward in my commitment to evidence-based, equity-oriented development.”
Fikayo’s doctoral research focuses on how countries like Nigeria navigate energy transitions, particularly in the context of fossil fuel subsidy reform, state capacity, and international partnerships.
She examines the political economy of climate finance and the incentives shaping sustainable development in complex, resource-rich settings.
At the World Bank, her work will contribute to operational research on how better data and financing mechanisms can support emissions reduction across partner countries.
