Oluwaseun Olowoporoku

Oluwaseun Olowoporoku is an urban development and resilience expert with the World Bank Group. Since 2022, he has been developing interdisciplinary approaches to urban planning, climate adaptation, and disaster risk management, especially in East and West African countries.

Olowoporoku’s work includes developing post-disaster and recovery building programs, assisting cities in prioritizing urban resilience investments, and developing financing and capacity building programs for urban management and disaster preparedness and response. He is currently working on projects to enhance urban livability and resilience, including managing forced displacements in Nigeria and Sierra Leone and strengthening risk-sensitive land use planning in Ethiopia.

Olowoporoku is an author of many international peer-reviewed papers on hazard and risk management and the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the World Bank Vice President Unit Award for outstanding team achievement, the World Bank African Fellowship, and the Strengthening Advisory Capacities for Land Governance in Africa Fellowship, organized by the German Academic Exchange Service.

Olowoporoku holds a PhD in urban and regional planning from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. His doctoral research examined public perceptions of environmental hazards and risks, exploring how this understanding can enhance the design of effective disaster risk reduction programs in Nigeran urban areas. His professional aspirations center around exploring conventional and alternative approaches to enhance urban resilience, manage disaster risks, and operationalize climate adaptation programs while improving public understanding and informing policy decisions in these areas.