By Demola Akinyemi Ilorin

The Vice Chancellor of Thomas Adewumi University(TAU), Oko-irese in Irepodun local government area of Kwara state, Professor Francisca OnaOlapo Oladipo has said that her election as first Nigerian to Elite Global Data Governance Body in Brisbane Australia represents not just a personal achievement,but a paradigm shift in global data governance.

Professor Oladipo said this in her reaction upon receiving official notification from CODATA Executive Director Simon Hodson about her election to the global body.

TAU Vice Chancellor was elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the Committee on Data of the International Science Council (CODATA) for the term 2025-2027.

The election, took place at the 34th CODATA General Assembly held on 17-18 October 2025 in Brisbane, Australia.

According to Professor Oladipo,”This election represents not just personal achievement, but a paradigm shift in global data governance.

“For too long, Africa has been a source of data rather than a shaper of data policy. My presence on this Committee ensures that African perspectives, challenges, and innovations directly inform the standards and practices that govern global science.”

CODATA, established in 1966 under the International Science Council, represents the pinnacle of global data science governance.

The organization’s Executive Committee comprises fewer than 15 members worldwide, selected from among thousands of data scientists across all continents to guide international data policy, Open Science initiatives, and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles that govern scientific research globally.

Professor Oladipo will serve alongside an exceptionally distinguished group of global leaders including:

• Mercè Crosas (Spain), President of CODATA and Head of Computational Social Sciences at Barcelona Supercomputing Centre
• Vice-Presidents from South Africa and New Zealand, representing their respective scientific communities
• Executive Committee members representing the scientific elite from Japan, Taiwan, Finland, United Kingdom, Australia, Botswana, and other nations.

This elite committee shapes global data policy affecting billions of dollars in research funding, millions of scientists worldwide, and critical initiatives addressing humanity’s greatest challenges from pandemic response to climate action, from artificial intelligence ethics to sustainable development.

Professor Oladipo’s election follows her internationally recognized leadership of the Virus Outbreak Data Africa Network (VODAN-Africa), where she pioneered the world’s first successful implementation of machine-actionable FAIR Data Points during the COVID-19 pandemic across 88 health facilities in eight African countries.

This groundbreaking work, recognized in UNESCO’s 2021 Engineering Report and awarded “Most Inspiring Initiative” at Leiden Science Week 2022, demonstrated that Africa can lead not just participate in global scientific innovation.

Professor Oladipo brings to CODATA an impressive portfolio of international recognition, research excellence and global impact.