Green Growth Africa proudly announces the appointment of its Executive Director, Dr. Adedoyin Adeleke, as Co-Chair of the United Nations Independent Group of Scientists (IGS) tasked with preparing the 2027 Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR).
The appointment, made by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, marks a historic milestone as Dr. Adeleke becomes the first African to be appointed Co-Chair of the eminent group of 15 scientists selected from across the world. He is also the first Nigerian to be appointed to the prestigious group.
The Global Sustainable Development Report is the United Nations’ flagship, evidence-based publication on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, mandated by UN Member States and issued once every four years. The GSDR is designed to strengthen the science-policy-society interface and provide actionable recommendations to world leaders.
As Co-Chair, Dr. Adeleke will guide a team of 15 distinguished experts drawn from diverse scientific disciplines and regions, ensuring that the 2027 report delivers cutting-edge insights on emerging challenges and transformative pathways for sustainable development.
The appointment reflects not only global recognition of Dr. Adeleke’s expertise, but also the rising influence of African voices in shaping global development policy. His leadership will contribute to advancing a balanced and inclusive perspective on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a strong focus on justice, intergenerational equity, and transformative solutions. Given that the 2027 Global Sustainable Development Report is the last to be published before 2030; the IGS to be Co-Chaired by Dr. Adeleke will provide the last push towards the realisation of the SDGs. The outcome of the report will also shape the post-2030 United Nations’ development agenda.
A green growth and sustainability expert whose work bridges science, policy, and practice, Dr. Adeleke is the Founder and Executive Director of the Green Growth Africa Sustainability Network (Green Growth Africa). Green Growth Africa is a UNEP-accredited NGO headquartered in Nigeria and committed to driving just and green transitions for Africa’s development. Dr. Adeleke holds a PhD in Energy and Nuclear Science and Technology from Politecnico di Milano, Italy, where he also served as a Research Fellow within the UNESCO Chair in Energy for Sustainable Development. He has contributed to diverse international development projects including the EU-funded Long-Term Joint Research and Innovation Partnership on Renewable Energy (LEAP-RE) and Ambassadors for Sustainable Transition (AMBITION), among others.
His pioneering work has advanced sustainable energy, climate actions, biodiversity protection, and citizen-led sustainability initiatives across Africa. He has initiated and lead award-winning youth-focused programmes – EcoHeroes Initiative and Mentoring for Research Programme – that have directly impacted more than 10,000 secondary school students and 175 graduate researchers in 57 universities across 26 African countries. Dr. Adeleke developed Nigeria’s first ultra-modern green building constructed entirely from waste plastic bottles and fully powered by solar energy. He currently champions a nationwide initiative – Scaling National Capacity for Plastic Upcylcing (SNAP-Up) – to address system barriers within the waste value chain and promote green building in Nigeria. He also established Nigerian’s first development Media and Broadcasting outfit – Green Growth TV & Studios – based in Asokoro, Abuja. Moreover, he pioneered two digital innovations for sustainable development – Green Growth DigiHub – a web and mobile application that provides global visibility for sustainable development projects and actors. The digital platform also extracts and valorizes the global and policy impact of local sustainable development initiatives. His other digital innovation – Green Growth Watch – empowers citizens to capture, document and report environmental news including projects, incidences and crimes and violations to Green Growth TV. Green Growth Watch empowers citizens to know and exercise their environmental rights and ensure that their rights are respected in environmental governance in Africa.
Dr. Adeleke’s contributions to green growth and sustainable development have been widely lauded with various international recognitions. Adedoyin is the first African named in the 30 Under 30 GameChangers in Environmental Education by the Global Environmental Education Partnership, an initiative supported by the U.S. & Taiwanese Government. He was also named in the 40 Under 40 Changemakers in Solar Energy by PennWell Corporation-owned Renewable Energy World, USA. In 2018, he was also named in the Top 100 Shakers and Movers in Corporate E-Learning, among others. EcoHeroes Initiative, initiated and led by Dr. Adeleke won the prestigious Okayama ESD Award (Japan) & Pratt & Whitney Excellence Award in E-STEM, both in 2022. Moreover, he has contributed to several high-level UN and international reports, including UNEP’s Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-7) and 2023 and 2024 editions of UNEP’s Climate Technology Progress Report, among several others.
The 2027 Global Sustainable Development Report will be the third in a series of quadrennial reports, following the 2019 (The Future is Now: Science for Achieving Sustainable Development) and the 2023 report (Times of Crisis, Times of Change: Science for Accelerating Transformations to Sustainable Development).
It will serve as a critical input to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in September 2027, providing scientific guidance on the state of global progress, identifying emerging challenges, and offering actionable recommendations. The outcome of the report will also provide a bedrock for the post-2030 United Nations’ development agenda.
The Independent Group of 15 Scientists will be supported by a UN task team led by DESA, UNESCO, UNEP, UNDP, UNCTAD, and the World Bank, ensuring broad consultation across governments, academia, civil society, and the private sector.
Green Growth Africa congratulates Dr. Adeleke on this groundbreaking appointment and looks forward to the invaluable impact his leadership will bring to advancing sustainable development in Africa and across the globe.
