Prof. Friday Okonofua is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Benin, and the Foundation Vice-Chancellor of the first specialized University of Medical Sciences in Nigeria. He has been Dean, Provost, and Member of the Governing Council at the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria.

He is a Fellow of the West African College of Surgeons, the Nigerian Postgraduate College in Obstetrics and Gynecology, the International College of Surgeons, the Takemi International Health program at the Harvard University School of Public Health, the Nigerian Academy of Medicine, the Nigerian Academy of Medical Specialties, the Nigerian Academy of Science, the African Academy of Science, and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, UK. He Obtained a PhD in international Health from the Karolinska University in Stockholm, Sweden in 2005. He has served as the Adviser on Health to President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and as the Executive Director of the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FIGO).

Prof. Okonofua’s expertise is in women’s health, a discipline where he has published more than 342 research articles, 4 books, 26 book chapters, 40 monographs, and obtained 48 international research grants. His most recent edited book “Contemporary Obstetrics and Gynecology in Developing Countries” published by Springers Nature in August 2021 comprises 69 chapters and is one of the most comprehensive textbooks ever published in the discipline in the African region. He currently has an h index of 55, i10 index of 188, and has been cited 12,106 times. He is the editor of the African Journal of Reproductive Health, a member the editorial board of the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,  a reviewer  to 20 international journals, and a technical consultant to many international agencies. He served as a program officer at the Ford Foundation between 2010 and 2015.

In October 2020, the African Leadership voted him runner-up of the Evidence Leadership Award organized by Africa for Development Policy (AFIDEP) and the African Academy of Science (AAS) for his research leading to policy development in Nigeria. He currently serves as the Centre leader of the African Centre of Excellence in Reproductive Health Innovation (CERHI) funded by the World Bank, the Director of Grants and Research Administration, and the Coordinator of all World Bank projects at the University of Benin in Nigeria.