Research Enterprise Systems (RES) has announced the selection of its Senior Program and Innovation Manager, Michael Olaogun, as one of 16 Fellows selected from across Africa for the Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative’s Individual Policy Exchange Programme (iPEP) Fellowship.
The prestigious Fellowship brings together emerging African researchers and policy practitioners working to strengthen the continent’s capacity to generate, translate and apply evidence to address current and emerging public-health challenges.
Through the one-year programme, Olaogun will join other African researchers and policy professionals to advance evidence-informed policymaking, strengthen pandemic preparedness and response, and contribute to efforts aimed at building more resilient health systems across the continent.
Commenting on the selection, the Executive Director of RES, Professor Fatai Aremu, described the Fellowship as a recognition of Olaogun’s leadership and sustained commitment to research, policy engagement and inclusive development.
“Michael’s selection reflects a strong track record of leadership, strategic thinking, and commitment to promoting inclusive development through research, policy engagement, and stakeholder collaboration. As Senior Manager at RES, he has played a significant role in advancing initiatives that foster institutional strengthening, evidence-informed decision-making, and sustainable development,” Professor Aremu said.
As part of the Fellowship, Olaogun will undertake research on “Research and Innovation Ecosystem for Pandemic Preparedness and Response in Africa: Perspectives from Nigeria and Mali.”
The study will examine the research and innovation ecosystems supporting pandemic preparedness and response in Nigeria and Mali, with particular attention to institutions, key actors, policies, financing mechanisms, partnerships and knowledge-translation processes.
The research will also explore how these elements influence the capacity of both countries to anticipate, prevent and respond effectively to pandemics. The study will be undertaken in collaboration with a counterpart from the Université des Sciences des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako (USTTB), Mali, providing an opportunity for cross-country learning, knowledge exchange and policy engagement between Nigeria and Mali.
Olaogun’s selection comes against the backdrop of his growing involvement in health research and policy engagement. He has led and contributed to several health-focused studies, including Roles and Efficiency of National Health Insurance Scheme on Quality Health Delivery in Nigeria; Review of Policy Initiatives on Maternal Mortality in Nigeria; Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Strengthen Health Systems in Nigeria; and Governance of Artificial Intelligence for Global Health in Africa: A Review of Policy and Regulatory Frameworks.
His research and professional engagements have focused increasingly on generating practical evidence that can support policymaking, strengthen institutions and contribute to improved development outcomes.
At RES, Olaogun has been involved in initiatives spanning research, innovation, policy analysis, institutional strengthening and evidence-informed decision-making. His participation in the iPEP Fellowship is expected to further strengthen the organisation’s engagement with emerging debates around pandemic preparedness, health research and innovation in Africa.
The Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative is a joint initiative of the Science for Africa Foundation, the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford, and the Mastercard Foundation. The initiative seeks to strengthen Africa’s pandemic sciences ecosystem by supporting African researchers, fostering collaboration and creating pathways through which evidence can inform policy and practice.
The Fellowship is also expected to provide Olaogun with opportunities to develop new partnerships, exchange knowledge with researchers and policy practitioners from across Africa, and contribute to policy conversations on strengthening research and innovation ecosystems for pandemic preparedness.
Research Enterprise Systems congratulated Olaogun on his selection, describing the Fellowship as an important opportunity to deepen Africa-led research, innovation and policy approaches to pandemic preparedness and response.
The organisation said it looks forward to the knowledge, partnerships and policy insights that Olaogun’s participation in the Fellowship will bring to RES and the wider research, policy and public-health community.