Faces – Young Scientist Profile: Oluwasola Omoju

Get to know Oluwasola, a truly global young economist.

In Faces we portray the young scientists of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings and give them an open forum to talk about their research and everything else that is important to them. Everybody should feel encouraged to also share their own thoughts and stories.

On his research interests:

“My research is focused on energy and economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa, and how energy supply, particularly electricity, can be improved to achieve economic development. The research is important because Africa has the lowest energy consumption in the world, and this is partly responsible for the economic and development situation in the region. Thus efforts need to be geared towards this research area to ensure inclusive growth, poverty reduction and sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

On the challenges of an economist’s life:

“Studying economics for me has not been easy. I attended universities where graduating with a good grade in the economics department requires hard work and consistency. I almost gave up on pursuing post-graduate studies due to the hard work and sacrifice required to succeed, but I have benefitted immensely from the counsel and experiences of my teachers. I also come from a country where less importance is attached to research but things are changing now.”

On his road to Lindau:

“My application for the Meeting was a bit tricky. I applied as an open applicant because I am studying outside my country. I started the process about a few days until the deadline. But I almost gave up when I learnt that only about 500 researchers will be selected among thousands of applicants. Besides, my despair and frustration was aggravated when the website couldn’t submit my application on the last day. However, with the assistance of Karen Otto, I was able to successfully submit the application. So I was pleased when I got an email confirming my nomination. I learnt not to give up.”

On his expectations on the Lindau Meeting on Economic Sciences:

“I look forward to meeting all the Nobel Laureates and young researchers from all over the world, and learning from their experiences. Specifically, I would like to meet Joseph Stiglitz, as well as other researchers that share my passion for African economic development.”

More Info on Joseph Stiglitz can be found at the Lindau Mediatheque.

To join the debates and reach out to other participants use the Twitter Hashtag: #LindauEcon14.