Professor of Informatics

Faculty of Computing and Informatics

Inaugural Lecture

Title RE-ALIGNING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION THROUGH DATA GOVERNANCE: A RESEARCH JOURNEY TRANSLATING GLOBAL THEORY INTO AFRICAN PRACTICE

PROFILE OF PROF JUDE ODIAKAOSA OSAKWE

Professor Jude Odiakaosa Osakwe is a Full Professor of Informatics at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). His work addresses information systems, digital transformation and data governance in developing countries. He began his academic career as a lecturer in Nigeria in 2002. Earlier appointments included Head of Department and Director of ICT at the College of Education, Oju, Nigeria, where he gained experience in academic leadership and institutional technology management.

He holds a PhD in Informatics, an MSc in Information Technology, a Postgraduate Diploma in Science Education and a BSc Honours in Applied Statistics. His professional qualifications include certificates in Big Data Modelling and Management, Project Management and Business Strategy.

Professor Osakwe’s research adapts theories of information systems adoption, mobile learning, business intelligence and data governance to developing-country contexts, particularly in Southern and West Africa. He examines how resource-constrained institutions can responsibly adopt big data, business intelligence, blockchain and mobile platforms. He has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and international conference papers, authored three books in Information Systems and Research, and co-edited three book chapters.

His contribution to researcher development includes supervising three PhD candidates to completion and mentoring 25 master’s and over 50 honours researchers to completion. He has examined 39 theses, comprising 11 doctoral and 28 master’s theses, for universities in Namibia, Nigeria, elsewhere in Southern Africa and Europe.

His conference leadership includes serving as Local/Conference Chair of the International Conference on Information Systems and Emerging Technologies (ICISET) in Windhoek in 2022 and 2023, and as Conference Co-Chair in South Africa in 2024 and Accra, Ghana, in 2025. He serves on international conference programme committees, on the editorial boards of eight journals, and as an external examiner for several universities.

Professor Osakwe is a Professional Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and a member of the Scientific Blockchain Alliance in Germany, the Nigeria Computer Society, and the Open, Distance and eLearning Association of Nigeria (ODeLAN).

His future research agenda addresses responsible artificial intelligence governance, the ethics and security of large-scale data ecosystems, and institutional capacity for digital transformation in governance and education without deepening inequalities. He envisages African universities helping shape context-relevant digital policy and data governance, supported by continued mentorship of emerging researchers. His ORCID is 0000-0002-2752-5339.