Renowned climate scientist and environmental consultant, Prof. Jimmy Adegoke says Nigerians in diaspora can help the country navigate its development challenges.
Adegoke called on the Federal Government to collaborate with these Nigerians to develop the country under president Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The professor spoke at a media chat following the send-off dinner hosted in his honour by a team of diaspora scholars and associates in Lagos.
Adegoke recently retired from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he was a tenured faculty member and academic leader for almost 25 years.
He also served as Chairman of the Department of Geosciences from 2008 to 2010 and Director of the university’s Centre for Applied Environmental Research.
Citing diasporas’ global exposure and networks, Adegoke said diasporans can help to foster international partnerships, bring fresh perspectives to policy-making, and attract investments.
He noted that many Nigerians returning home are willing to contribute their quotas as an expression of patriotism and commitment to the country’s growth and development.
The advisor and senior consultant on climate change and green growth with African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, said by tapping into the diaspora’s talent and expertise, Nigeria can leverage its global human capital to drive economic growth.
He added that the country can improve governance, and enhance its international reputation.
Adegoke’s work cuts across science, climate policy, environmental governance, and cross-institutional capacity building, while his research has been funded by agencies such as NASA, US National Science Foundation, and the AfDB.
He served as interim Executive Director/CEO of the West African Science Service Center for Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, from April to December 2017.
He was previously Executive Director of the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research, Natural Resources & Environment Division, Pretoria, South Africa from 2010 to 2012.
At the invitation of the Government of Nigeria, Adegoke served as Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Agricultural Resilience in Nigeria, which developed a national programme on climate adaption and agricultural resilience for Nigeria in 2014.
He sits on multiple international science advisory boards/committees and maintains permanent residence in Kansas City where he was an appointee of the Mayor of Kansas City Missouri on the city’s Environmental Management Commission.
Adegoke was previously named “Inspiring Leader of the Year” by the University of Ibadan Alumni Global Network and a “125th Anniversary Fellow” of the College of Earth & Mineral Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University, USA where he obtained his doctorate degree.
He was inducted into the Ahmadu Bello Universtity, Zaria Nigeria Hall of Fame in 2021 as one of the “110 Most Powerful ABU Alumni”.
(NAN)
