A Nigerian, Adewale Adeyemo, has been appointed president of the Obama Foundation.
The Nigerian-American economic expert becomes the first-ever president of the foundation, Igbere TV reports.
Adeyemo, 39, will lead “the implementation of the organisation’s strategic plan and managing its organisational structures and functions.’’
A statement by the chairman of the foundation’s board, Martin Nesbitt, said: “Wally is the ideal person to help lead the foundation team as we continue to grow the impact of our global civic engagement programs and advance the Obama Presidential Centre.”
Adeyemo was deputy national security adviser (NSA) for international economics during the administration of former president Obama.
He is reputed to have helped the US combat the global economic recession of 2008.
Adeyemo helped in the establishment of the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and he was described by Obama as the ”point person” on a range of international economic issues, including negotiations on strong currency agreements around the trans-pacific partnership.
He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Bachelor of Arts degree, before moving to Yale Law School, where he bagged his Juris Doctor (JD) for further studies in Specialised Law.
At Yale, he was the co-director, project on law and education for the university.
