Ayo Aderinwale’s career has spanned politics, leadership, international relations, education, public service and philanthropy.

Prior to his appointment as the Deputy Chief Coordinator, OOPL, Mr. Aderinwale served as the Executive Director of Africa Leadership Forum (ALF), Africa’s premier civil society organization founded by Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo out of the need to assist in improving the capacity and competence of African leaders to tackle development and leadership challenges confronting post independence Africa.  At ALF, Mr. Aderinwale began several programs such as the Junior Business Seminar (JBS), the Professional Seminar Series, the Regional African Parliamentarians Conference, the Africa Women’s Forum, the Legislative Internship Programme and the Democratic Leadership Training Workshop. He helped facilitate the adoption of a Solemn Declaration on the Conference on Stability, Security, Development and Cooperation in Africa (CSSDCA) by the Assembly of Heads of State and Governments of the African Union (AU).

He was elected VP Economic, Cultural and Social council ECOSOC of the African Union in 2004. In 2008 he was elected Chair of Parliament of the African Capacity Building Foundation.

He has also been a consultant for several international agencies, including the United Nations, European Union and the former Organization of Africa Unity now known as the African Union. He has been involved in drafting and participated in several strategic development initiatives and documents in Africa, including the initial drafting of the Millennium Plan for Africa (MAP) which later became the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and was an inaugural member of the Nigeria Steering Committee of the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

In 2006, Mr. Aderinwale was conferred with the national honour of Member of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (MFR) by President Olusegun Obasanjo (GCFR). In his honour, his classmates and colleagues launched a foundation, the Ayodele Aderinwale Foundation for Education and Leadership in Africa (AAFELA), which provides scholarships to young boys and girls in schools across the country.

Mr. Aderinwale currently serves on the boards of various organizations including Justrite Limited, a leading retail chain-stores company in Nigeria. Mr Aderinwale’s business interests spans Modern Retail, Agriculture, integrated Media and education.

Aderinwale attended the University of Lagos for his undergraduate and graduate studies. He is also an alumnus of the United Nations University‘s International Leadership Academy, and of Harvard University‘s Executive Programme for Leaders in Development; Centre for Advanced Studies in International Negotiations (CASIN), The Salzburg seminar.

Aderinwale is a prolific writer and a motivational speaker of repute. He is happily married to Mrs. Tosin Aderinwale and they are blessed with children.