Dr. Olusegun Omisakin | Chief Economist & Director of Research, NESG

Dr Olusegun Omisakin is the Chief Economist and Director of Research and Development at the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), where he leads one of Africa’s most influential private sector policy think tanks at the nexus of evidence-based research, macroeconomic governance, and national development strategy. In this capacity, he steers NESG’s analytical agenda and research architecture, translating complex macroeconomic dynamics into clear, actionable insights that inform executive decision-making, shape government reform priorities, and guide private-sector investment strategy across Nigeria and West Africa.

With more than 18 years of executive-level experience, Dr. Omisakin has designed, led, and quality-assured over 600 high-impact research and policy initiatives spanning macro-fiscal policy, trade and regional integration, sovereign debt sustainability, energy and natural resources, labour markets, inclusive growth, and institutional reform. He has significantly expanded NESG’s research output and serves as the principal architect of the organisation’s research and evidence infrastructure. He pioneered proprietary macroeconomic and CGE modelling frameworks (including NESG-MACMOD and NESG-DRCGE) and oversees flagship knowledge products such as the Annual Macroeconomic Outlook, quarterly business confidence reports, and thematic policy briefs that reach tens of thousands of policymakers, investors, and development partners annually. He is known for distilling extensive technical analysis into concise, executive-ready briefings and is a sought-after advisor in high-stakes policy conversations.

Dr. Omisakin provides strategic advisory support to cabinet-level officials, central banks, and presidential technical committees, including technical contributions to Nigeria’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) and the Nigeria Agenda 2050 long-term development framework. His work has directly informed national reform debates on inclusive growth, job creation, fuel subsidy reform, fiscal sustainability, structural transformation, and the macroeconomic implications of regional integration initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

A recognised leader in multilateral donor relations and grant management, Dr. Omisakin has initiated and managed strategic partnerships with institutions such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), and the MacArthur Foundation. He has led different policy reform initiatives including the NESG–Gates Foundation Fiscal Commission Roundtable and OSIWA-backed ECOWAS debt management and sustainability programmes, securing significant grant funding, achieving high uptake of policy recommendations, and positioning NESG as a premier regional authority on fiscal governance and sovereign risk.

Beyond Nigeria, he plays a continental role as Senior Research Fellow at the West African Institute in Cape Verde and as a long-standing policy and research consultant to the ECOWAS Commission’s Macroeconomic Policy Department. As Senior Development Economist and Macroeconomic Consultant at the United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (UNIDEP), he has trained and mentored hundreds of economists and policy professionals across Africa in advanced macroeconomic modelling, policy impact assessment, and development strategy. He is a regular expert voice in the media on macroeconomic and development issues. An active scholar and editor, he serves as Chief Editor of the Economic and Policy Review Journal. He has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications and more than 450 policy reports, briefs, and technical analyses.

Dr. Omisakin holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Ibadan, specialising in advanced macroeconomic and energy policy modelling, and has completed executive education at Harvard Kennedy School in smart policy design and persuasive communication. Combining technical depth, strategic communication, and institution-building experience, he is widely regarded as a trusted adviser to governments, development partners, and business leaders on Africa’s economic transformation agenda.