In a milestone for Harvard University’s wide range of research and teaching-led collaborations with Africa, the Harvard Center for African Studies (CAS) completed a week of programming and partnership-building in Lagos, demonstrating a commitment to strengthening ties between Harvard and African thought-leaders. This visit reflected three interwoven priorities for CAS: elevating African voices in global agenda-setting; deepening partnerships with Nigerian leaders and alumni; and supporting long-term investments in cutting-edge research and innovation for Africa through the cultivation of resources and deepened partnership.
“Bringing the Center’s work to Nigeria and engaging directly with such a vibrant community of leaders, scholars, and changemakers is at the heart of our mission,” said Dr. Zoe Marks, Faculty Director of the Harvard Center for African Studies. “These conversations ensure that African priorities and perspectives are not just heard but drive the collaborations and research shaping the future at Harvard and beyond.”
To advance the Center’s goals, CAS began the visit to Lagos with two signature events. On Wednesday, August 13, 2025, the Folorunso Alakija Distinguished Lecture on Religion and Public Life in Africa brought leading voices together to reflect on the intersection of faith, governance, and the public good in Nigeria, Africa’s largest multi-faith democracy. Professor Oyeronke Olademo, Professor of Comparative Religious Studies in the Department of Religions at the University of Ilorin, examined religion’s influence across education, leadership, economics, politics, and security, highlighting both challenges and opportunities while calling attention to the gap between professed faith and lived practice. Professor Jacob K. Olupona, Professor of African Religious Traditions and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, who earned a degree from the University of Nigeria, led a dialogue with Professor Olademo, exploring the nuances of her research and its implications for Nigeria.
On Thursday, August 14, 2025, the Gala Dinner, leaders and philanthropists convened with the purpose of supporting the Study of Africa at Harvard through partnership and philanthropy. The Center for African Studies invited attendees to reflect on the most important questions facing Nigeria and Africa in the next 25 years and to consider how Harvard and Nigeria can work in partnership to catalyze the region’s full potential. Insights from this dialogue will help guide the Center’s agenda back in Cambridge. The evening’s conversations were guided by Dr. Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, a prominent Artificial Intelligence, Media Innovation and Public Policy Leader, who’s an alumna of the Harvard Kennedy School and one of Africa’s most respected voices on leadership, innovation, and human capital development. Forbes named her among Africa’s 20 Most Powerful Young Women, a recognition of her relentless aspirations to use creativity and knowledge to build people and economies and most recently, she produced and released Africa’s first feature film on AI and emerging technologies, MAKEMATION in a global roll out.
The centerpiece of the evening was a keynote address by the former Vice President of Nigeria, His Excellency Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who spoke on the critical importance of research in Africa spanning public health, agriculture and food security, the green economy, and national security.
Over the course of the week, CAS engaged with local leaders and organizations in Lagos through a range of collaborative site visits, including:
- The Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Association hosted a gathering that included representatives from the Harvard Club of Nigeria, the Harvard Business School Nigeria Club, and the Harvard Center for African Studies team. The Center’s delegation featured Dr. Zoe Marks, Faculty Director; Ms. Rosaline Salifu, Associate Director; Ms. Nthatisi Quella, Africa Office Director; and Mr. Sirak Kurban, Communications & External Relations Officer bringing together diverse backgrounds from the United States, Ghana, South Africa, and Eritrea. The gathering included a cultural showcase featuring live performances of poetry and song, dance choreography from Nigeria’s prominent ethnic groups, as well as Nigerian food, drinks, and music. This was a special evening of networking which provided the foundation for deeper engagement during the week.
- Mr Orondaam Otto, founder of Slum2School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government alum, hosted a site visit at a Lagos public school in Makoko, as well as a visit to the local community his organization serves. Makoko, historically a transnational water-based neighborhood, experiences significant poverty, but also often described as “the Venice of Africa” as residents traverse daily life through its waterways. Many students in this community receive scholarships from Slum2School, and the visit provided an opportunity to see first-hand the organization’s transformative impact.
- Another HKS alum, Kunmi Adio-Moses, welcomed the team to the Lagos State Public Service Staff Development Center (PSSDC), where he serves as Director-General. PSSDC is a capacity building public sector institution that works with different sectors to promote training and development for public service professionals.
- Professor Marks and Mr. Kurban held meetings with the first female Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Dr. Folasade Ogunsola, and Deputy Vice Chancellor Muyiwa Falaiye led a tour of the campus, including a site visit to the Institute for African and Diaspora Studies. These discussions focused on prospective partnerships in research and teaching excellence and how Harvard can strengthen the capacity of universities and institutions that are vital to Nigeria’s future.
- Finally, the Center’s commitment to impactful research was also highlighted throughout the week. Harvard CAS provides vital support to research on the continent through faculty grants, and student and postdoctoral fellowships. Awardees of the Motsepe grant, Professor Phyllis Kanki of the Harvard School of Public Health and Professor Alani Akanmu of the University of Lagos, provided a site visit at Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Their research collaboration, funded by the Center for African Studies through the Motsepe Research Accelerator, has investigated the prevalence and immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers designed to measure infection risk and immune profiles in an unvaccinated high-risk population. The professors emphasized that research should not be sporadic or “stop-and-go”. Instead, a sustained commitment to research is essential for building healthier and stronger cities across Nigeria.
In each of the site visits, the Center for African Studies explored with partners what meaningful collaboration looks like and ways to support the capacity of these vital organizations and institutions in Nigeria, and across Africa. This landmark week signals a new era for the Center for African Studies, which has just celebrated its 10th Anniversary. Professor Marks has set her strategic priorities on supporting close, sustained, and meaningful partnerships by Harvard with African voices and institutions co-creating globally relevant scholarship and transformative impact.
The Harvard University Center for African Studies is a globally recognized, interdisciplinary body at Harvard University committed to broadening knowledge about Africa and amplifying African perspectives. As an internationally respected organization, the Harvard Center for African Studies is uniquely positioned to influence global perspectives on Africa—deepening knowledge and understanding of Africa through global connections and communities of learning. Learn more at https://africa.harvard.edu
