Current Chair

H.E. Amb. Oluyemi Adeniji

Oluyemi Adeniji joined the Nigerian Foreign Service in July 1960 and has had a distinguished diplomatic career. In the early years, he served in the Nigerian embassies in Washington D.C., Freetown and Accra, and in various capacities in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
From 1970 to 1973, he was Minister in the Nigerian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. He was appointed Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1976. From 1977 to 1981, he was Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Ambassador to Switzerland. From 1987 to 1991, he was Ambassador to France. He was appointed Director-General of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1991, a post he held until 1994.
Mr. Adeniji was appointed Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General to the Central African Republic in 1998, a position he held until 1999 when he went ahead to serve as Special Representative and Chief of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone. He continued in this capacity until 2003 and played an instrumental role in the peace talks in Sierra Leone and the signing of the Lomé Peace Agreement.
Mr. Adeniji then served as Foreign Minister in the Government of Nigeria until June 2006, when he went on to become Minister of Internal Affairs/Interior.
Mr. Adeniji is currently Chief Mediator at the Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation process under the Panel of Eminent African Personalities - African Union Initiative. He is also Special Envoy of the African Union to the Sudan.
A recognized expert on disarmament and conflict resolution, Mr. Adeniji is author of several publications on both subjects. He is currently President and Chief Executive of the Lagos-based African Strategic and Peace Research Group, a research body which focuses on issues relating to peace and security in Africa.
Born on 22 July 1934 in Nigeria, Mr. Adeniji was educated at the University College, Ibadan. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Honours, History) from London University. He speaks English and French, apart from his Yoruba mother tongue.
Mr. Adeniji is married and has three children.