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23 May 2022

African Leadership Centre founding member awarded Honorary Doctorate

Professor 'Funmi Olonisakin was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy from the Faculty of Humanities from the University of Pretoria.

Professor 'Funmi Olonisakin awarded an Honorary Doctorate

The Honorary Doctorate is a recognition of Professor Olonisakin’s distinctive contributions in identifying the issues underlining the changing nature of peace and security in Africa, especially in peacekeeping, security sector reform and governance, women, peace and security, and young people affected by armed conflict.

The University of Pretoria commended Professor Olonisakin’s research which provided early thinking about operational environments in which UN peacekeepers co-deploy with peacekeepers under the authority of regional organisations.

They also praised Professor Olonisakin’s publications, commenting that they underline her deep commitment to knowledge-building in her discipline and her commitment to nurturing a new generation of African scholars through the establishment of the African Leadership Centre.

Funmi Olonisakin is an exceptional and internationally renowned African scholar, university administrator and practitioner, a woman with a deep and abiding commitment to and impact on international efforts to promote peace and security, an innovative leader in her field and in the global higher education domain, an accomplished mentor, a creative thinker and one of the great intellectuals from our continent, dedicated to improving the human condition and demonstrating African agency in global affairs.”

University of Pretoria

At King’s, Professor Olonisakin is Vice President (Global Engagement) and Professor of Security, Leadership and Development.

She is a founding member of the African Leadership Centre, which aims to build the next generation of African scholars generating cutting edge knowledge for security and development in Africa.

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2022_Funmi_Olonisakin

Vice President (International, Engagement & Service)