PROFESSOR SUNDAY ADEBISI

Professor Adebisi is the Director, Entrepreneurship and Skills Development Centre, University of Lagos, Nigeria, and Director, African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) Centre of Excellence for Unemployment and Skills Development. His activities have made UNILAG the Hub-Leader in Nigeria and Africa for research in Youth Unemployment and Sustainable Entrepreneurship. He was the Lead Researcher (Rocket Data Star) of the Regional Entrepreneurship Accelerated Program (REAP) that UNILAG did with the MIT, USA. His numerous awards in Entrepreneurship include; 

Becoming a Double Professor and the First Occupier Professor of the Dr Mike Adenuga (Jnr) Professorial Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies (2021-2024); 

Winning the UKRI-GCRF ARUA Capacity Building Grant titled: “Partnership, Research and Capacity Building for Youth Unemployment Solutions in Africa (PRAC 4 YUSA)” to conduct entrepreneurship interventions program in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa; 

Winning the Africa Centre of Excellence for Unemployment and Skills Development Centre (ARUA, CoE-USD), making UNILAG to become the Leader and Hub in Africa for research in Youth Unemployment and Sustainable Entrepreneurship

Project Manager and Research Advisor of the Commercial Pilot of M(E)thanol Clean Cookstoves Project of the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo); 

Award Winner of the 2014 World Conference of the British Academy of Management (BAM) Best Full Paper in Performance Management; and 

Distinguished Visiting Professor Fellowship to the John Papajohn Entrepreneurship Centre, University of Iowa, USA in 2022. 

Recipient of the Award of the EFMD 2016 Best African Case in Berlin, Germany. 

Visiting Scholar Award to Soochow University, China in 2013

Professor Sunday Adebisi, is a distinguished academic and administrator who has made remarkable contributions to education, research, and community development. He is an expert on the fields of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Strategic Management. A leader per excellence and a Design Thinking Chief Coach to many in the academics and industry in Nigeria and Africa. His achievements have not only elevated the academic standards of UNILAG but have also inspired countless students and colleagues. He has demonstrated exceptional expertise in his field. His research focuses on entrepreneurship, small business development, and strategic management, which are areas critical to Nigeria’s economic growth. His work has been instrumental in shaping policies and programs aimed at empowering entrepreneurs and small business owners in Nigeria. Professor Adebisi’s commitment to community service is equally commendable. He has been involved in numerous outreach programs, providing training and mentorship to aspiring entrepreneurs across Nigeria. His dedication to empowering the youth and fostering economic development has earned him widespread recognition and respect. 

Beyond his academic prowess, Professor Adebisi has spearheaded many initiatives that have opened up University of Lagos for many enterprise opportunities and he was a founding Team Member of our prestigious University of Lagos Business School (ULBS). He has also  equipped more than 20,000 students with practical skills and entrepreneurial mindsets to date, playing a greater role in redirecting Entrepreneurship Education in Nigeria with the activities he piloted in the University of Lagos. Under his leadership, ESDC became the first hub for innovation in any Nigerian University, fostering a culture of self-reliance and creativity among students. Professor Adebisi leads the teaching and knowledge facilitation of Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management in the ULBS. He is also the Lead of the Doctor of  Entrepreneurship Development (DED) and the Masters in Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Management (MEDIM).  His efforts have significantly contributed to reducing unemployment by encouraging graduates to venture into entrepreneurship. Professor Adebisi’s commitment to community service is commendable. He has been involved in numerous outreach programs, providing training and mentorship to aspiring entrepreneurs across Nigeria. His dedication to empowering the youth and fostering economic development has earned him widespread recognition and respect. 

Professor Adebisi passion is to ensure that Africa replicates the Silicon Valley of America to engender sporadic innovation and entrepreneurship development for poverty eradication and economic self-sufficiency for Africa. He is poised to making African youths developing the changed mind-set that is not queuing for the unavailable jobs, but creating many Start-ups right from Campus and grow them into decent jobs of now and the future; thereby creating business empires that will make Nigeria and African countries to be Globally competitive. This passion of his has made him to drive aggressive collaborations with private sector and meaningful entrepreneurs to support the realization of this dream of his University and the Entrepreneurship Centre that he leads. Professor Adebisi sits on the Board of Governance of many organisations in Nigeria. He is the Non-Executive Chairman of the DEES Group, Non-Executive Director of EMADEB Energy, Non-Executive Director UNILAG Guest Houses and Conference Center Board, Principal and Lead-Partner Enterprise Clinic and a Consultant and Mentor to many Startups in Nigeria. He is a member of many Professional and Academic bodies: Fellow, Institute of Certified Business Consultant (FICBC), Fellow, Association of Enterprise Risk Professionals (FAERP), Academy of International Business (AIB) USA; Strategic Management Society (SMS) USA; British Academy of Management (U.K.); The Academy of Management, Nigeria (TAMN); Nigerian Society for Financial Research (NSFR); Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM Chartered); and National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN).