Dr. Olakunle Ajayi (Aníbiírè) is an Akure-born, Harvard-trained global development strategist and Chief Executive Officer of AfriHealth Metrics, with nearly two decades of progressive experience in the reconstruction and strengthening of critical sectors across various nations, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. His career spans the Gates Foundation, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Atlanta, and some of the most consequential development institutions in the world.

Born on 15 February 1985 at the State Specialist Hospital, Akure, into the family of Pastor Michael & Esther Ajayi of Akure in Ondo State. Olakunle was raised in a disciplined Christian home by a seasoned cocoa farmer father and a teacher mother. His childhood coincided with one of the most difficult periods in Nigeria’s modern history under military administration, experiences that shaped his lifelong conviction that sustainable progress requires disciplined leadership, strong institutions, and a genuine commitment to improving everyday lives.

He began his education at Local Authority Primary School II (L.A. School II), Oke Bola, Akure, before proceeding to Ade-Tola International Nursery and Primary School, Akure. He attended Unity Secondary School, Ikere Ekiti for his junior secondary, and the prestigious Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure for his senior secondary education. Driven by a natural affinity for numbers, love for analysis, and deep curiosity about how complex problems could be understood, he studied Statistics at the University of Ilorin, graduating with Second Class Honours (Upper Division) in 2006. At the University, he was elected Class Governor and later a distinguished Senator within the student governance structure, early evidence of a young man to whom others naturally looked for leadership.

What followed was a period of deliberate intellectual investment: a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; a Master of Health Economics (MHE), a Master of Development Studies (MDS), and a Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) from Bayero University, Kano; and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in International Business Management from The Franklin Hudson International School of Management, Paris. At Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, he was admitted to the Master of Public Health (MPH) programme focusing on Health Systems and Outcomes Research. He was elected President of the Harvard Chan Nigeria Students Association, and received both the Harvard Chan MPH Scholarship and the prestigious Rose Service Learning Fellowship at Harvard University.

His professional career began with the Society for Family Health and Family Health International (FHI 360) in Nigeria. At the Gates Foundation, he served as Senior Programs Coordinator supporting strategic initiatives within the Africa Office. At the U.S. CDC in Atlanta, through the Office of Grant Services, he supported programs aimed at setting global standards for disease surveillance and evidence-based health policy. He then transitioned from working within institutions to building them, founding AfriHealth Metrics, a pioneering healthcare intelligence organisation advancing health systems performance through data and evidence-driven solutions across Africa.

He has presented at numerous scientific and professional conferences around the world, including the Canadian Conference on Global Health in Montreal, Canada, contributing to discourse on health systems strengthening, development policy, and institutional performance. This is a career that has moved consistently from understanding how systems work, to repairing the ones that don’t, to building new ones where none existed. A recipient of the Federal Government Undergraduate Scholarship, the Ondo State Scholarship Board Award, and the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders (Rutgers University), his excellence has been recognised repeatedly at every stage.

A devoted family man of deep Christian faith. In Akure, he was elected President of the Akure Ala Lions Club, a deliberate expression of a core belief that leadership begins at home, in the community you come from. An avid reader who maintains a substantial personal library spanning philosophy, faith, economics, health, leadership, and governance. His career has taken him across several continents, developing a genuine love for travel. Every city visited and every culture encountered is a lesson absorbed; a reminder that good ideas are not confined to any one geography.

A passionate football enthusiast and proud supporter of Sunshine Stars Football Club of Akure, and by extension, Manchester United and Real Madrid across English and Spanish Leagues respectively. He plays golf, a sport he enjoys for the patience, strategy, and quiet discipline it demands. He believes that sport teaches many of the same lessons that leadership requires: discipline, teamwork, resilience, and the understanding that individual brilliance means nothing without collective effort and shared purpose.