Dr. Adeyemi Adelekan is a Research Associate at the University of Manchester (UoM) and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Understanding Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP). He carries out research on social enterprises, sustainable business models, circular economy and behavior change in both the Global North and South.
Prior to his engagement at UoM, Adeyemi obtained a PhD from Middlesex University London, with research that explored social enterprise strategies for the circular economy in Lagos. He also has an MBA from the University of Salford, where his research won the Dean’s Award for Excellence in the Business Innovation Live Project category for the year 2015.
Adeyemi believes social enterprises have a critical role to play in Africa’s sustainable development. He co-convened the first ASEW in 2019 while carrying out fieldwork in Lagos, where he witnessed first-hand the impact self-identified social enterprises are having in and beyond their communities, sometimes with little or no resources. His interest lies in how they can organize better, strategically navigate the tensions to meet commercial, social and/or environmental objectives, while scaling their impact.
Adeyemi’s professional experience also spans across business management, administration, and IT consulting both in Nigeria and in the UK.