From 6 Rejections to Global Talent: How Nigerian Scholar, Adeyemo, Became A Leader in UK Academia

For a young African-Nigerian man with many uncertainties about the future, becoming one of the most recognised potential leaders in UK academia is not just a dream come true, but a testament to the rewards of academic excellence and hard work.

Oluwaferanmi Adeyemo, an outstanding Nigerian scholar based in the United Kingdom, recently achieved an outstanding Global status following his endorsement as a UK Global Talent by The British Academy under the Exceptional Promise Route.

Introduced in February 2020 to replace the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa, the Global Talent is a key part of the UK’s offer to attract highly skilled and promising individuals in the fields of science and research, digital technology, and the arts to live and work in the UK.

The visa is similar to elite migration programmes in other developed countries, including the Global Talent visa programme in Australia, the EB1 visa in the USA, the Global Talent stream in Canada, and the Highly Skilled Professional visa in Japan.

Adeyemo’s journey to becoming a Global Talent did not begin in 2025; it stretches back to 2020, when he was awarded the prestigious Commonwealth Shared Scholarship for his Master’s degree in International Communications and Development at City, St. George’s University of London.

The Commonwealth Scholarship is a UK Government prestigious scholarship award managed by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to attract and support outstanding innovators and academic leaders of the future across the Commonwealth to UK universities.

“My journey to becoming a Commonwealth Scholar started in 2014 when my mum was awarded the scholarship to undertake a master’s in Healthcare Leadership and Management at Sheffield Hallam University.

“This became a turning point for me and the motivation for me to aspire to become a recipient. After applying for the scholarship in 2014, I was fortunate to be nominated and selected in 2020 after six attempts.”

He completed his Master’s degree with distinction, and his growing research experience soon laid the groundwork for doctoral research. During his Master’s programme, he conducted dissertation research on the use of participatory communication by NGOs delivering poverty-reduction programmes.

The research exposed him to the realities of organisational struggles in addressing complex socioeconomic problems such as unemployment, inequality, and economic inactivity, issues affecting not only underdeveloped contexts, but also developing and advanced economies.

The early research interest eventually matured into his PhD in Social and Economic Research, which examined the experiences of voluntary sector organisations delivering youth employment services across three British communities.

Adeyemo not only completed his PhD at Sheffield Hallam University in October 2025 within three and a half years, but also achieved something even rarer: he passed without corrections. This is widely regarded as an exceptional outcome, reflecting both the quality of the thesis and his outstanding academic performance.

However, behind this achievement was a difficult journey that tested him emotionally and mentally. In his words:
“Embarking on a PhD in a new environment and a different field from my academic background is one of the most difficult yet rewarding experiences I have had in my lifetime. On some days, I asked myself what I got myself into, while I almost quit the programme and returned to Nigeria in 2023, but insufficient funds and the fear of failing myself kept me going. I also had amazing support from my supervisors.”

Beyond his doctoral research, Adeyemo has contributed to a broad range of interdisciplinary research projects spanning climate change and biodiversity, public health, facility management, and decolonising higher education.

One of his most notable recent achievements, he says, is “leading a team of five early career researchers in the UK on a forthcoming edited book chapter on decolonising UK higher education, by Palgrave Macmillan.”

In the UK, black academics are significantly underrepresented, making up roughly three per cent of the total academic workforce, and less than one per cent of black professors. However, Adeyemo is looking beyond these statistics and barriers. For him, the motivation runs deeper: it is about building on and preserving the legacy for the future.

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“My drive and passion stem from following the footsteps of my late grandfather, who was the first Professor of Accounting in Nigeria, as well as those of my mum, who is currently an Associate Professor of Nursing. These two are my greatest motivations, and even though the journey has not been smooth, I always remember what those ahead of me have done. I encourage myself not to give and to keep going.”

Looking ahead, Oluwaferanmi is committed to deepening his interdisciplinary intellectual contributions and ultimately advancing to the professorial rank in public policy or a closely related field.

Beyond this, he is equally driven by a strong desire to give back to Nigeria, through sustained engagement in labour market and employment policy research, as well as strategic secondments, advisory roles, and consultancy work that support national development priorities.