Oka Obono

Oka Obono is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He has spent the past 20 years working on population, methodology, culture, communication, health and policy issues at the University of Calabar (1990-1998), University of Ibadan (1998-date), Brown University (2000-2003) and Bowen University (2005). He is Guest Faculty at Nigeria’s elite National Defence College, Abuja (2007- date). He has supervised four PhDs and over 45 MScs to completion and is author of more than 35 peer-reviewed scholarly publications and above 50 technical reports and monographs. A methodologist with advanced skills in qualitative and quantitative research, Obono is Editor of the book of empirical studies, A Tapestry of Human Sexuality in Africa (2010) and is currently working on the Manual of Methodology for Fieldwork in Africa. He hopes to use the resources and environment that the African Studies Centre provides during his visiting fellowship to advance these and other writing interests.

His research activities span past and current roles as Independent Scientist and Temporary Adviser to the World Health Organization (1996-date); Chief Evaluator of 40 civil society organizations in Nigeria; Coordinator of Dakar-based network of governance monitors in 12 West African countries (2006); European Union Zonal Monitoring Team Leader for 2006 Nigerian Census; Principal Researcher, Research Alliance to Combat HIV/AIDS; National Consultant to Population Council (New York) in design and use of tools for the Integrated Biological and Behavioural Surveillance Survey ethnographic pre-assessment (2009); Independent Monitor, National Bureau of Statistics Harmonized National Living Standards Survey (2009); National Consultant, WHO international pre-certification evaluation of the Nigerian Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (2010); Consultant Methodologist, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in instrument design for African Governance Report III governance survey of 45 African countries (2010); Principal Investigator, Public Ownership and Behaviour Change survey in Lagos (2010-2011); and Principal Investigator in WHO/APOC multi-country study of health care delivery systems in Africa (2010-2011). Dr. Obono writes a weekly newspaper column on the policy predicaments of the African state and civil society.