Professor Emmanuel Oladipo is a distinguished climate change specialist with over four decades of experience in academia and development practice. He holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Toronto, Canada, and has held positions as a university lecturer and a Sustainable Development Adviser/Energy and Environment Team Leader with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Nigeria1111. He has consulted for Nigerian federal and state ministries, the UNDP, and the World Bank2. His expertise spans a range of environmental issues, including climate change, floods, drought, and desertification3. Professor Oladipo is affiliated with the Centre for Climate Change and Development at Alex Ekwueme Federal University and chairs the Policy Advisory Panel for the Resource and Environmental Policy Research Centre/Environment for Development (EFD), University of Nigeria, Nsukka4. He has also served as a Nigerian Delegate to climate change negotiations and Conferences of Parties (COPs) since 2009, giving him a deep understanding of the international climate negotiation process.
Professor Oladipo has a proven track record of leading and managing complex projects, particularly in developing climate change policies and strategies666666666. As a team leader, he has successfully developed national policies on climate change, a post-COVID-19 strategy for the environment sector, and a national framework for sustainable food and nutrition security7. He also coordinated a UNEP project to combat drought and desertification across the transboundary zones of Nigeria and Niger, managing a team of over 100 staff and a multi-million-dollar budget8888. His work includes developing Nigeria’s initial Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the UNFCC and several sectoral plans9999. He has also provided technical support and capacity-building training to various stakeholders on climate change response and management, and he has evaluated projects for organizations like the AfDB and UNDP-GEF.
Professor Eric Chiedum Eboh is a renowned Agricultural Economist at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, with core expertise in Public Policy and Development Economics. His career spans significant leadership positions where he has successfully bridged academic research with policy practice. He served as Chief Job and Wealth Creation Officer for Delta State (2015–2023), spearheading programmes to drive employment and economic empowerment. Prior to that, he was the Pioneer Director of the University of Nigeria Distance Learning Programme (2012–2015) and Executive Director of the African Institute for Applied Economics, Enugu (2003–2012), where he built and coordinated international research networks dedicated to evidence-based policy influence.
At the international level, Prof. Eboh contributed to global policy platforms, notably as a member of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management (2009–2012) and as the pioneer President of the Agricultural Policy Research Network (2009–2015). He has earned research fellowships and produced widely cited publications under the auspices of leading institutions including the International Foundation for Science, African Academy of Sciences, American Social Research Council, African Development Foundation, and CODESRIA. His expertise continues to support subnational, national, and international organizations in policy design, programme evaluation, and development interventions, affirming his reputation as a scholar-practitioner dedicated to advancing sustainable development.