Olayinka Hakeem Babalola, a member of the Rotary Club of Trans Amadi, Nigeria, will, on Thursday, 1 July, 2026, take office as the first Nigerian to become the President of Rotary International.
Becoming the second African to lead the global membership organisation, the new president will focus on peace-building and lasting community impact.
As stated in a release, Babalola will, during his one-year term, focus on strengthening Rotary’s contribution to peace-building and supporting sustainable, community-led solutions that address local and global challenges and improve lives.
Behold Olayinka Babalola, President Rotary International
“Rotary gives people the opportunity not only to make a difference in their communities, but also to grow through meaningful relationships, collaboration, and a deeper appreciation of different perspectives.
“At a time when many societies face division and uncertainty, I believe Rotary has an important role to play in building understanding, advancing peace, and creating opportunities for communities to thrive.
“As president, I look forward to highlighting and strengthening that impact around the world,” Babalola stated in the release.
Babalola holds a degree in engineering and spent more than 30 years in the oil and gas sector, including senior leadership roles at Shell PLC.
He founded the Riviera Technical Services Ltd., an oil and gas infrastructure delivery firm, as well as Lead and Change Consulting, an executive coaching and organisational performance consultancy.
He is a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Institute of Safety Professionals, and the Association of Change Management Practitioners.
Babalola also belongs to the Jericho Business Club, a civic organisation in Ibadan that contributes to national policy dialogue.
He became involved with Rotary in 1984 through Rotaract, Rotary’s programme for young professionals and students and joined the Rotary Club of Trans Amadi in 1994.
He has since held a number of leadership roles within the organisation and currently serves as a trustee of ShelterBox UK, Rotary’s official project partner for disaster relief.
He and his wife, Preba, support Rotary Foundation through a named endowment and are members of the Arch Klumph Society, which recognises Rotary’s highest level of philanthropic giving.
His Rotary honours include the Africa Centennial Heroes Award, the Service Above Self Award, the Regional Service Award for a Polio-Free World, and The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service.
The new president will bring to bear decades of experience advancing community development, peace-building, and public health initiatives across Africa.
He has been actively involved with Rotary’s Peace Center at Makerere University in Uganda, the organisation’s first on the African Continent.
As the head of Rotary’s 45,000 clubs worldwide, Babalola will lead the top priority of the organisation namely, ending polio.
Together with its Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners, Rotary has reduced polio cases by 99.9 per cent and contributed more than US$3 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect over three billion children from the paralysing disease.
He has also been deeply engaged in Rotary’s polio eradication efforts, serving on the End Polio Now Countdown to History Campaign Committee and advising the Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee.
Rotary members, worldwide, were committed to developing and implementing sustainable, community-driven projects that fight disease, promote peace, provide clean water, support education, save mothers and children, grow local economies and protect the environment.
More than US$5.5 billion has been awarded through The Rotary Foundation, the charitable arm of the organisation helping clubs to work together to perform meaningful, impactful service to support the listed initiatives over the last 100 years.
Rotary International is an organisation that brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges and creating lasting change.
Rotary connects 1.2 million people of action from more than 45,000 Rotary clubs in almost every country in the world.
Their service improves lives both locally and internationally, from helping those in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world.
