Popoola Gbolagade: Championing Agribusiness Innovation in Nigeria, Wins Excellence Award
D Chronicle Media has announced Popoola Gbolagade as the recipient of the Excellence in Agric-Business Award at the upcoming 2025 Excellence in Agribusiness Lecture and Award.
The event will take place on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at Olusegun Aganga Hall, International Conference Center, University of Ibadan, starting at 3 pm. The theme for this year’s lecture is “Growing Beyond Oil: Agriculture As a Key to Nigeria’s Economic Diversification.”
Popoola Gbolagade holds an MSc in Agricultural Extension from the University of Ilorin, completing the programme with PhD-grade performance, and a Bachelor of Agriculture (Second Class Upper Division) from the same institution. His early education began at C.A.C. Primary School, Ajaawa, continued at Baptist Grammar School, and culminated in the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, where he earned a Nigeria Certificate in Education with a double major in Agriculture.
The keynote lecture will be delivered by Prof. Olorunfemi Oladapo Ogundele of the Agriculture and Food Policy Department, NISER. Mr. Omidokun Oyekunle, Chairman of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Oyo State Chapter, will serve as Chairman. Special guests expected include Bar. Olasunkanmi Olaleye, Hon. Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Oyo State, and Dr. Seye Oyeleye, Director-General of the DAWN Commission.
Popoola’s career includes leadership roles as CEO of Opop Global Ventures and Chairman of the Catfish Association of Nigeria, Oyo Zone. He has also served as Farm Manager at Slavabogu Nigeria Limited, Assistant Manager at Bharat Ventures Limited overseeing an 85-hectare maize farm, and Senior Agronomist and Field Coordinator at Syngenta Nigeria Limited through Rhizome Consulting. His professional journey further extends to the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) and the Syngenta NAIS Project in Niger State, where he contributed to agricultural research, project implementation, and field-level capacity building.
A dedicated researcher and scholar, Popoola has co-authored studies on small-scale catfish farming in Oyo State and access to agricultural resources among maize farmers in Kwara State. He has also participated in global capacity-building initiatives, including a certified programme on “Protecting Human Research Participants” organized by Michigan State University. His achievements earned him the Oyo State Post-Graduate Scholarship Award in 2013.
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