Nigerian engineer, business executive and veteran humanitarian, Olayinka Hakeem Babalola, will officially assume office as President of Rotary International on July 1, 2026, becoming only the second African to lead the world’s largest humanitarian membership organisation.
A member of the Rotary Club of Trans Amadi, Nigeria, Babalola will oversee Rotary’s global network of more than 1.2 million members in over 45,000 clubs across nearly every country of the world during his one-year tenure.
His presidency is expected to focus on strengthening Rotary’s role in peacebuilding, promoting sustainable community-led development, and expanding the organisation’s humanitarian impact across the globe.
Speaking ahead of assuming office, Babalola said Rotary offers people not only an opportunity to transform communities but also to grow through service, collaboration and mutual understanding.
“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,” he said.
“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 brings decades of leadership experience in community development, peacebuilding and public health to the office. He has played an active role in Rotary’s Peace Center at Makerere University in Uganda—the organisation’s first peace centre on the African continent.
As Rotary International President, he will also lead the organisation’s long-standing campaign to eradicate polio worldwide.
Rotary remains one of the founding partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), helping to reduce global polio cases by 99.9 per cent since the programme began. The organisation has contributed more than US$3 billion, alongside millions of volunteer hours, to immunise over three billion children against the crippling disease.
Babalola has been closely involved in the anti-polio campaign, serving on Rotary’s End Polio Now Countdown to History Campaign Committee and advising the Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee.
Throughout its history, Rotary has championed projects aimed at fighting disease, promoting peace, improving access to clean water and sanitation, supporting quality education, protecting mothers and children, strengthening local economies and safeguarding the environment.
Through The Rotary Foundation, the organisation has awarded more than US$5.5 billion over the past century to support sustainable humanitarian and development projects worldwide.
An engineer by profession, Babalola spent more than three decades in the oil and gas industry, including senior leadership positions at Shell PLC. He later founded Riviera Technical Services Ltd., an oil and gas infrastructure company, as well as Lead and Change Consulting, a firm specialising in executive coaching and organisational performance.
He is a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Institute of Safety Professionals, the Association of Change Management Practitioners, and the Jericho Business Club, a civic organisation based in Ibadan that contributes to national policy discussions.
Babalola’s Rotary journey began in 1984 through Rotaract, Rotary’s youth programme for students and young professionals. He became a member of the Rotary Club of Trans Amadi in 1994 and has since served in several leadership positions within the organisation.
He currently serves as a trustee of ShelterBox UK, Rotary’s official disaster relief partner.
Together with his wife, Preba, Babalola supports The Rotary Foundation through a named endowment and belongs to the prestigious Arch Klumph Society, which recognises Rotary’s highest level of philanthropic giving.
His numerous 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.
Rotary International, founded more than a century ago, is a global network of volunteer leaders committed to addressing humanitarian challenges, advancing peace and creating lasting change in communities around the world.
The late Jonathan B. Majiyagbe made history in 2003–2004 as the first African—and first Black African—to serve as President of Rotary International, becoming the highest-ranking leader of the global humanitarian organisation. His election marked a significant milestone for both Nigeria and the African continent, demonstrating Rotary’s growing global diversity and influence.
A distinguished Nigerian lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Majiyagbe earned his law degree from the University of London and was called to the Bar of England and Wales before practising law in Nigeria. He served as Principal Partner of J.B. Majiyagbe & Co. and held several prestigious legal positions, including Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association and member of the Body of Benchers. He was also awarded the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2008.
Majiyagbe joined the Rotary Club of Kano in 1967 and steadily rose through Rotary’s leadership ranks, serving as club president, Rotary International director (1988–1990), trustee of The Rotary Foundation, and later Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees in 2008.
During his presidential year, he adopted the theme “Lend a Hand,” urging Rotarians worldwide to prioritise poverty alleviation and compassionate service. He believed humanitarian assistance should preserve the dignity of those receiving help, symbolised by his insistence that the two hands in the presidential logo be depicted as equals.
Majiyagbe was also a passionate advocate for the global fight against polio. He served on several PolioPlus committees and helped strengthen Nigeria’s eradication campaign. His leadership contributed to Rotary’s long-term efforts that culminated in the Certification of the WHO African Region as free of wild poliovirus in 2020.
He died in May 2023 at the age of 88. Rotary leaders around the world remembered him as a statesman, mentor and visionary whose presidency inspired the growth of Rotary across Africa and left a lasting legacy of humanitarian service.
With the inauguration of Babalola on 1 July 2026, Nigeria once again occupies Rotary International’s highest office, making him only the second African to lead the organisation.
