Oladapo Adeleke Banwo

Dr. Adeleke Oladapo Banwo is an accomplished scholar, business strategist, and mentor whose career spans over fifteen years of teaching, research, and entrepreneurial development across Africa, Asia, and North America. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the School of Business and Entrepreneurship at the American University of Nigeria (AUN), where he leads initiatives that merge innovation, sustainability, and leadership development within the university’s broader mission of fostering African solutions to African challenges.

A passionate advocate for experiential learning, Dr. Banwo has pioneered several initiatives that bridge academic theory with real-world practice. He pioneered the Entrepreneurship Fair at the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) an annual platform that empowers students to transform classroom ideas into viable business ventures. His work there inspired a culture of creativity, enterprise, and social impact among young entrepreneurs across East Africa. During his tenure as a foreign expert faculty member at Jiangsu University, China, he played a pivotal role in strengthening the industry–university mentorship program, linking students with business leaders to accelerate innovation, employability, and technology-driven entrepreneurship.

At the American University of Nigeria, Dr. Banwo continues to shape future-ready leaders through immersive, practice-oriented education. In 2025, he initiated and chaired the 1st Business Leadership Symposium, a transformative event that brought together industry leaders, scholars, and students to explore the intersection of leadership, ethics, and innovation in emerging economies. His teaching philosophy emphasizes learning by doing, creativity under constraint, and the pursuit of purposeful leadership.

Beyond teaching, Dr. Banwo is a prolific thinker and the originator of the concept “Urine Entrepreneurship™”, a groundbreaking philosophy that challenges entrepreneurs to find value in what others reject or ignore. His concept, anchored in the U.R.I.N.E.™ Framework (Upcycle, Reimagine, Innovate, Nurture, Evolve), has gained recognition for its innovative integration of sustainability, resourcefulness, and entrepreneurial psychology. Through this and other intellectual contributions, he continues to inspire new paradigms for entrepreneurship in developing economies.

Dr. Banwo’s research interests cut across innovation management, digital entrepreneurship, organizational behavior, and sustainable business strategy. He has published and reviewed scholarly works in leading academic journals and continues to mentor postgraduate and doctoral researchers in these areas. His ability to translate academic insight into actionable frameworks has made him a sought-after consultant and speaker at entrepreneurship workshops, leadership programs, and university-industry collaborations.

As the Principal Consultant at Marse Professional Services, Dr. Banwo has advised small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), non-profit organizations, and academic institutions on strategy development, process improvement, and innovation-driven growth. His work has supported capacity-building programs for entrepreneurs and public sector leaders across Nigeria, Kenya, and China.

Dr. Banwo’s mentorship legacy spans hundreds of students and entrepreneurs who have gone on to launch successful ventures, win business competitions, and pursue advanced studies worldwide. His mentoring philosophy emphasizes empathy, critical reflection, and guided autonomy principles that empower individuals to think independently, solve problems creatively, and lead responsibly.

He holds a PhD in Management from Jiangsu University, China, where he was a recipient of the prestigious Chinese Government Scholarship, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration with specialization in Marketing.
Dr. Banwo embodies the rare blend of academic depth and practical wisdom. His work continues to shape the next generation of thinkers, innovators, and changemakers committed to building sustainable African enterprises capable of global impact.