Damilola Ogunbiyi

Damilola Ogunbiyi is a Nigerian sustainable-energy executive serving as Chief Executive Officer of Sustainable Energy for All and as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All. Her work spans international energy coordination and earlier public-sector leadership on electrification in Nigeria.

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About Damilola Ogunbiyi

Profile information current to 2026-08-22.

Nigeria · Sustainable-energy executive, United Nations Special Representative

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Known for: Sustainable energy and energy access; Rural electrification; International energy policy and coordination
Country: Nigeria

Sustainable-energy executive
United Nations Special Representative

At a glance

Ogunbiyi leads Sustainable Energy for All, serves as the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and co-chairs UN-Energy.
She was the first woman appointed Managing Director of Nigeria's Rural Electrification Agency.
At the Rural Electrification Agency, she helped initiate or negotiate the $550 million Nigerian Electrification Project for solar mini-grids and solar home systems.
Her professional recognition includes election as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2022 and inclusion in the 2024 TIME100 Climate list.

International energy leadership

The United Nations announced Ogunbiyi's appointment as Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy in October 2019, while also recording her appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Sustainable Energy for All. The organization identifies 2020 as the start of her first CEO term, and its board approved a second five-year term in June 2024. Current institutional pages continued to list her in these leadership roles as of August 2026.

Public-sector career in Nigeria

Before moving into her international roles, Ogunbiyi held senior positions in Nigeria's electricity sector. She was the first woman appointed to lead both the federal Rural Electrification Agency and the Lagos State Electricity Board, and she also served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Power and headed the Advisory Power Team in the Office of the Vice President. At the Rural Electrification Agency, she helped initiate or negotiate the Nigerian Electrification Project, described by institutional sources as a $550 million World Bank-African Development Bank facility supporting solar mini-grids and solar home systems.

Education and professional recognition

Ogunbiyi studied Project Management for Construction at the University of Brighton, receiving a BSc(Hons) in 2001 and an MSc in 2002. She was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2022 and was included in TIME's 2024 TIME100 Climate list in the Titans category. As of August 2026, the European Investment Bank also listed her as a member of its Climate and Environment Advisory Council.

Timeline

2019-10-29 The United Nations announced Ogunbiyi's appointment as Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy, and recorded Sustainable Energy for All's appointment of her as CEO.
2020 Sustainable Energy for All identifies 2020 as the beginning of Ogunbiyi's first CEO term.
2022-09-20 Ogunbiyi was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
2024-06-20 Sustainable Energy for All's Governance Board approved Ogunbiyi's reappointment to a second five-year CEO term.
2024-11-12 TIME named Ogunbiyi to its 2024 TIME100 Climate list in the Titans category.

Additional verified details

Current context

Ogunbiyi is listed as Chief Executive Officer of Sustainable Energy for All, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and a Co-Chair of UN-Energy. The roles are listed on current Sustainable Energy for All and United Nations institutional pages. Sustainable Energy for All's June 2024 announcement states that its board approved a second five-year CEO term.
Ogunbiyi is listed as a member of the European Investment Bank Climate and Environment Advisory Council.
In a June 2026 World Bank release concerning Mission 300, Ogunbiyi was identified as CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and discussed the organization's support for governments implementing National Energy Compacts.

Biographical facts

A 2019 United Nations appointment announcement identified Ogunbiyi as being of Nigeria.
Before joining Sustainable Energy for All, Ogunbiyi was the first woman appointed Managing Director of Nigeria's Rural Electrification Agency.
In her Rural Electrification Agency role, Ogunbiyi helped initiate or negotiate the Nigerian Electrification Project, described by institutional sources as a $550 million World Bank-African Development Bank facility for solar mini-grids and solar home systems.
Before joining Nigeria's federal government, Ogunbiyi was the first woman appointed General Manager of the Lagos State Electricity Board.
Ogunbiyi served as Senior Special Assistant to Nigeria's President on Power and headed the Advisory Power Team in the Office of the Vice President.
The University of Brighton states that Ogunbiyi received a BSc(Hons) in Project Management for Construction in 2001 and an MSc in the same field in 2002.

Connections

Affiliations

Affiliations associated with Damilola Ogunbiyi.

Sustainable Energy for All Chief Executive Officer 2020–present
United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All 2019-10-29–present
UN-Energy Co-Chair 2019-10-29–present
European Investment Bank Climate and Environment Advisory Council Member present