Mr Rafiu Akinpelu Olaore is the founder and executive director of the Youths Enterprise Development and Innovation Society (YEDIS), an NGO with Special Consultative Status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). He currently works as a Chief Lecturer in the Procurement and Supply Chain Management Department at Osun State Polytechnic in Nigeria. Additionally, he is a Principal Consultant at Ola Akin Investments Ltd, a business development service provider. Rafiu actively engages in global policy discussions, mentors young entrepreneurs, and promotes digital rural entrepreneurship and innovation as key factors for youth employment and economic growth.
Rafiu Olaore is a distinguished change agent and an acknowledged stakeholder with the United Nations, British Council, and World Bank Group. He advocates for rural entrepreneurship and digital innovation. He has addressed major international gatherings on policy discussion, including the ILO’s 2025 2nd UN Virtual Worlds Day in Turin, Italy; the OECD’s 2025 Civil Society Days in Paris; the UN Economic Commission for Africa’s 2025 Africa Forum in Uganda; meetings of the World Bank Group and IMF in the USA; the 2025 Accelerating Africa’s Growth Conference in Ghana; the One Young World Summit 2024 in Canada; the 2024 UN Civil Society Conference in Kenya; and the World Trade Organization’s 2024 Public Forum in Switzerland.
 His expertise has earned him honours, including serving as a representative of the African Western and Central Regions on the World Bank and IMF Civil Society Policy Forum Working Group for 2024–2026. In 2025, the British Council named him a finalist for the Study-UK Social Action Award in Nigeria, and he received the Community Builder Award from UNCTAD. He is part of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) Global Thinkers. He serves as Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria for Osun State (2025–2027). Additionally, in 2025, he was recognised as a job creation partner by the World Bank Group and IFC. Rafiu has earned over 45 certifications on global emerging issues from the UN, the World Bank, the British Council, and other leading organisations.
LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafiu-olaore-2b768553