Born and based in Nigeria, Andrew Onwuemele grew up in a rural environment and has experienced life conditions in a typical rural setting of a developing country. In Nigeria, as in many developing countries of the world, there are wide inequalities between the urban and rural areas in terms of access to resources and basic facilities needed for a decent living.

Dr Onwuemele expresses his desire to lessen those inequalities in the research he undertakes. Andrew’s work in academia and, now,  at the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) has been focused on findings ways to resolve the problem of poor access to resources, and social amenities in rural communities, and on ascertaining the impact of global environmental change on rural livelihoods. Over the past few years, Dr Onwuemele has also been evaluating the outcomes of development interventions in rural settings. Combining program evaluation and applied social research is Andrew’s humble way of contributing to the quality of life of rural people in Nigeria and across the world.

Andrew Onwuemele holds a Master of Science in Rural Development Planning; a Doctor of Philosophy in Regional Development Planning and a Postgraduate Diploma in Project management. Andrew is widely travelled and has worked with several donors across the developing countries.