Kemi Adeosun

Kemi Adeosun
Kemi Adeosun
Born	March 9, 1967 (age 59); London, England
Occupation(s)	Chartered accountant, investment banker, politician
Years active	1989–present
Known for	Finance Minister of Nigeria, Chairman of the Board of African Export–Import Bank (AfreximBank)

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Kemi Adeosun, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

Kemi Adeosun (born 9 March 1967) served as Nigeria's Finance Minister and was formerly the chairman of the Board of the African Export–Import Bank (AfreximBank). She assumed the role of Finance Minister in November 2015 during President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, taking over from Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. With a professional background as a chartered accountant and investment banker, Adeosun was well-equipped to tackle the economic issues facing Africa’s largest economy.

Early life and education

Born in London, England on 9 March 1967 to Nigerian parents originally from Ogun State, Adeosun is the third child in a family of four. Her father worked as a civil engineer in government service. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of East London and later earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Financial Management from the University of London. Additionally, she completed executive leadership studies at the Wharton Business School. In 1994, she achieved certification as a Chartered Accountant through the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

Career

Adeosun’s career began at British Telecom in London as an accounting assistant from 1989 to 1990, followed by a role as senior audit officer at Goodman Jones between 1990 and 1993. She then oversaw Internal Audit functions at both London Underground and Prism Consulting from 1994 until 2000. From 2000 to 2002, she held the position of Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers in London. In 2002, she joined Chapel Hill Denham Management as financial controller, eventually advancing to managing director by 2010. Subsequently, she served as managing director at Quo Vadis Partnership from 2010 to 2011 before being appointed Commissioner of Finance for Ogun State from 2011 to 2015, where she contributed significantly to Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s Mission to Build economic reform initiative.

In November 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari selected Adeosun as Nigeria’s Finance Minister. During Afreximbank’s 25th annual general meeting held in Abuja, she was elected chairman of its board, succeeding Rwanda’s Finance Minister Ndagijimana Uzziel.

NYSC certificate controversy

On 7 July 2018, Nigerian digital publication Premium Times reported allegations that Kemi Adeosun had fraudulently obtained her NYSC exemption certificate to qualify for holding public office. Two days later, NYSC’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Adeyemi Adenike, confirmed that Adeosun had formally applied for an exemption certificate but stated that investigations were still underway to determine whether it had been properly authorized. On 14 September 2018, amidst the controversy surrounding alleged certificate forgery, Adeosun tendered her resignation as Finance Minister in a letter addressed to the President.

On 7 July 2021, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled in her favor, stating that since Adeosun was a British citizen at age 22 when she graduated, she was exempt from NYSC requirements; furthermore, upon returning to Nigeria as a citizen over the age of 30, she was no longer eligible for youth service.

Political affiliation

Having maintained an independent stance throughout much of her career, Kemi Adeosun officially joined Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), on 5 May 2018.

Additional Engagements

African Development Bank (AfDB), Served as Ex-Officio Member on the Board of Governors (2015–2018)
United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, Participated as a Member of the Investment Committee (2018)
World Bank, Held the position of Ex-Officio Alternate Member on the Board of Governors (2015–2018)

Professional Affiliations

External Resources