Oladipo: Africa’s Voice On Global Data Governance

Professor Francisca Onaolapo Oladipo has joined the ranks of Nigerians flying the country’s flag in the international community.

No too long ago, Oladipo, who is the vice chancellor of Thomas Adewumi University, Oko-Irese, Kwara State, was elected to serve on the executive committee of the Committee on Data of the International Science Council (CODATA) from 2025 to 2027.

Her election took place at the 34th CODATA General Assembly held between October 17 and 18, 2025 in Brisbane, Australia. It marked a historic milestone as Oladipo became the first Nigerian to be elected to this prestigious global data governance body in the organisation’s 59-year history.

CODATA, established in 1966 under the auspices of the International Council for Science, represents the pinnacle of global data science governance. The organisation’s executive committee comprises fewer than 15 members worldwide, selected from among thousands of data scientists across all continents to guide international data policy, Open Science initiatives, and the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) data principles that govern scientific research globally.

The university administrator and scholar will serve alongside an exceptionally distinguished group of global leaders including Mercè Crosas (Spain), president of CODATA and head of Computational Social Sciences at Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, vice presidents from South Africa and New Zealand, representing their respective scientific communities, and the executive committee members representing the scientific elite from Japan, Taiwan, Finland, United Kingdom, Australia, Botswana and other nations.

The elite committee shapes global data policy affecting billions of dollars in research funding, millions of scientists worldwide, and critical initiatives addressing humanity’s greatest challenges, from pandemic response to climate action, from artificial intelligence ethics to sustainable development.

This is not just Professor Oladipo’s victory. It is Nigeria’s victory. It is Africa’s victory. And it is a powerful reminder that excellence, innovation and strategic vision can elevate Nigerian scholars to the highest echelons of global scientific leadership.

Oladipo’s election follows her internationally recognised leadership of the Virus Outbreak Data Africa Network (VODAN-Africa), where she pioneered the world’s first successful implementation of machine-actionable FAIR Data Points during the COVID-19 pandemic across 88 health facilities in eight African countries.

This groundbreaking work, recognised in UNESCO’s 2021 Engineering Report and awarded the “Most Inspiring Initiative” at Leiden Science Week 2022, demonstrated that Africa can not only participate in but also lead global scientific innovation.

“This election represents not just personal achievement, but a paradigm shift in global data governance,” said Prof. Oladipo upon receiving official notification from CODATA executive director Simon Hodson.

“For too long, Africa has been a source of data rather than a shaper of data policy. My presence on this committee ensures that African perspectives, challenges and innovations directly inform the standards and practices that govern global science,” she said.

Oladipo brings to CODATA an impressive portfolio of international recognition, research excellence and global impact,  including prestigious academic and research fellowships like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Post-Doctoral Fellowship, US Department of State TechWomen Emerging Leader at Google, California, Heidelberg Laureate Foundation Fellowship, Germany, Internet Engineering Task Force, and as a three-time recipient of the competitive Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Fairness, Accountability and Transparency Fellowship.

Professionally, she is a fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS), Nigeria Computer Society (FNCS), Pan-African Scientific Research Council (FPASRC) and the African Scientists Institute (FASI).

Back home and under her visionary leadership since August 2022, Thomas Adewumi University has achieved remarkable transformation: 3,461% enrolment growth from 66 to 2,350 students in just over three years, dramatic ascent from #252 to #47 in Nigeria’s Webometrics global university rankings, more than doubled the number of faculties from three to seven, and academic programmes from 13 to 29.

Under her watch, the university has established a College of Medicine and Teaching Hospital as well as a College of Postgraduate Studies with 27 academic programmes, secured over $500,000 in competitive international research grants, established 14 specialised research centres with AI-integrated learning ecosystems and won Nigeria’s “Best AI or AI-related Programme Award” in 2025.