Nigerian artist Ogunyakin elected African handicrafts body president

​‌‌‍‌‍‍⁠⁠‍‍​‌‌‌‍⁠​Nigeria’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Syndoph Endoni and President of the Organisation for the Development of African Handicrafts (ODEVAA-Africa), Opeoluwa Ogunyakin at the sidelines of the International Arts and Crafts Fair of Ouagadougou. Photo credit: NAN

Nigerian artist, Opeoluwa Ogunyakin, has been elected President-General of the Organisation for the Development of African Handicrafts, securing 65 per cent of the votes to lead the continental body for five years.

Ogunyakin emerged at the organisation’s election held during the 18th edition of the Salon International de l’Artisanat de Ouagadougou, also known as the International Arts and Crafts Fair of Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso, where delegates from several African countries participated in the electoral process.

He succeeds Ivorian Ali Cisse, founder and organiser of the Salon International des Arts et de l’Artisanat de Grand-Bassam, who had led the organisation since its establishment in 2020.

His emergence is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s role in the promotion and preservation of African arts, crafts and cultural heritage, with the new president pledging to expand the continent’s creative heritage and give its products greater international recognition.

Delegates and representatives from Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Benin Republic, Togo, Cameroon, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire, among other countries, attended the event at Ouaga 2000 in Ouagadougou.

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In his acceptance speech, Ogunyakin expressed gratitude to the delegates for electing him, describing his emergence as both an honour and a responsibility to the continent’s artists and craftspeople.

“To have been elected by you — my colleagues and fellow custodians of African craftsmanship — with 65 per cent of the vote, to lead this great continental organisation for the next five years, is an honour I do not take lightly,” he said.

He also commended the Burkinabe government for hosting the event and the organising committee, led by the President of ODEVAA Burkina Faso, Hachim Touré, for what he described as a transparent electoral process conducted both physically and online.