Biography

Short Bio 
Akanmu G. Adebayo, PhD, FNAL

Dr. Akanmu G. ADEBAYO is Professor of History at Kennesaw State University (KSU). He also serves as a KSU Ombuds.

Adebayo was formerly Director of the Center for Conflict Management (CCM) (2011-2016); Executive Director of the Institute for Global Initiatives (IGI, now renamed Division of Global Initiatives, DGA) (2003-2009); assistant dean in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (2002-2003); and assistant director in the Office of International Programs (OIP) (1995-1997). Adebayo has held other administrative positions, including serving as the Chair of the University System of Georgia’s Committee on International Students and Scholars, a committee charged with addressing issues facing international students and scholars in Georgia’s public universities and colleges.

As Director, Adebayo led the CCM in introducing short-term training programs in mediation, arbitration, and other aspects of alternative dispute resolution (ADR); developed an annual conference program on conflict management matters; and developed innovative internship and other programs for students. He has continued to be engaged with Africa. Examples of innovative programs include an ADR Workshop for Nigerian Judges (September 2012), Mediation Training for Nigerian Judges and Attorneys (December 2012), and Arbitration Training for Nigerian Judges (August 2013). Adebayo led the CCM as international observer of the 2015 presidential election in Nigeria. He is currently working on a pan-West African project on the integration of ADR into the countries’ systems of justice.

As Executive Director of the IGI, Adebayo worked with KSU’s leadership to maintain and strengthen the institution’s international focus. He coordinated, articulated and helped to establish KSU’s mission of international education, research and public service. He worked with faculty, staff and students throughout the university and fostered relationships with state, national, and international agencies concerned with promoting international education. The IGI directly operated or helped to coordinate many study abroad programs ranging in length from two weeks to eight weeks during summer, as well as semester-long study abroad programs. In addition, the IGI (now renamed Division of Global Affairs) managed KSU’s faculty and staff exchanges and coordinated relations with overseas partner institutions—including several Nigerian and African universities. Finally, the IGI coordinated regional studies and provided leadership for its component centers, including Center for African and African Diaspora Studies, Center for Hispanic Studies, several Asian Studies centers, and the Confucius Institute.

Even while serving in various administrative capacities, Professor Adebayo never lost sight of his primary calling as a teacher and scholar. His teaching and research have spanned many decades and continents. As full-time, part-time, or visiting professor, Adebayo has taught in Nigeria, Canada, Germany, and the United States. He was Senior Lecturer at Obafemi Awolowo University (1980-1991), Visiting Associate Professor at York University, Toronto, Canada (1991-1992), Research Fellow at the Center for Modern Oriental Studies, Berlin, Germany (1994), Visiting Professor at Dominican Institute, Ibadan (1998), and Visiting Professor at University of Ibadan (2009). As a member of the faculty at Kennesaw State University, Adebayo has made significant contributions to program development in the area of African Studies, international programs administration, and conflict management. He provided leadership for the development of a degree program in African and African Diaspora Studies, and in the establishment of the Center for African and African Diaspora Studies. In addition, he worked with other faculty and KSU administrators for the establishment of the School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development (SCMPD). As a graduate faculty, Professor Adebayo has supervised and/or chaired the dissertation committee of many MA and PhD students in Nigeria, Canada, and the United States.

Professor Adebayo has received many awards for his excellence. In 2016, Adebayo was inducted as Overseas Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (FNAL). He was the recipient of the University of Ife Prize for Overall Best Performance in the B. A. Degree, in 1979. He was also a finalist for the Distinguished Scholarship Award at KSU. He has received many grants and external funding for research and teaching, including the Tommy Holder Award (2009) to support his research into the pedagogy of West African history; the Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation in Development (ALO, now renamed Higher Education for Development, HED) grant to support instructional technology training for Ghanaian basic education teachers (2000); and the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad grant that supported twelve teachers from Georgia to travel to Ghana and Mali to introduce them to West African literature, geography, history, and social studies (2004).

Dr. Adebayo received his education at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU, formerly University of Ife), where he earned his B.A. (First Class Hons.) (1979), M.A. (1982), and Ph.D. (1986)—all in History. His B.A. History long essay is entitled "A History of Iwo to 1960"; his M.A. History thesis was on "Petroleum and Nigeria’s Foreign Policy"; and he wrote his Ph.D. thesis on "A History of Revenue Allocation in Nigeria." He has expertise and extensive experience in African economic history, intergroup and international relations, election and post-election violence, conflict management, and development. He has written on various aspects of African economy. He is the author, editor, or co-editor of many publications, including books, chapters in books, and articles in learned journals. His most recent publications include three co-edited books: Atone: Religious, Conflict and Reconciliation (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2018); Indigenous Conflict Management Strategies in West Africa: Beyond Right and Wrong (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2015); and Indigenous Conflict Management Strategies: Global Perspectives (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2014). Dr. Adebayo served as founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, and Perspective which publishes articles on global policy issues, international education pedagogy, and perspectives. He is also the Series Editor for the Lexington Books' "Conflict and Security in the Developing World" book series.

Professor Adebayo is married to Omotola Adebayo, and they are blessed with three grown children.

Last updated: February 2022