BA
Bukunmi Agboola, MSc Economics

Aspiring PhD Scholar & Economics Researcher

Actively Seeking PhD Opportunities in Economics (Fall 2026/2027)

Bukunmi Agboola

Research & Teaching Assistant at Lagos Business School. Economist specializing in Financial Inclusion, Digital SME Scaling, Energy Infrastructure, and Informal Microfinance Cooperatives across developing economies.

Lagos, Nigeria • agboolabukunmi97@gmail.com • ORCID: 0000-0002-2416-7169
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Academic Profile at a Glance

12+ Research Papers & Books
4.17/5.00 BSc Economics GPA
MSc Univ. of Ibadan
4+ Yrs RA & Fieldwork Experience
Methodological Focus: RCTs, Stata, Econometrics
Key Affiliation: Lagos Business School
Mentorship Network: ASMN / DIaDeRC Scholar
Doctoral Objective

PhD Research Vision & Theoretical Orientation

Preparing to advance research in applied microeconomics, financial inclusion policy, and micro-entrepreneurship scaling.

Empirical Causal Evaluation

My aspiration for a PhD centers on deploying rigorous experimental design (Randomized Control Trials - RCTs) and quasi-experimental econometric methods to evaluate the welfare and productivity impacts of financial inclusion tools on sub-Saharan informal enterprises.

Focus: RCTs, Impact Evaluation, Policy Design

FinTech & Mobile Money Innovations

Investigating how institutional structures, digital literacy, and cross-border digital payments (e.g., Onafriq) mitigate credit friction and foster structural transition from traditional ROSCAs/cooperatives into sustainable formal ventures.

Focus: FinTech Ecosystems & Gender Parity

Energy Demand & Infrastructure Resilience

Combining macro commodity sentiment dynamics with micro survey data (e.g., Sahara Power Group market intelligence) to examine SME operational efficiency under energy poverty and digital transformation constraints.

Focus: Energy Economics & SME Productivity
Core Themes

Primary Research Pillars

My work integrates macroeconomic policy analysis with applied microeconometric methodologies.

Financial Inclusion & Microfinance

Systematic literature reviews and empirical studies on microfinance scheme welfare effects, loan access, and digital payments in developing economies.

Digital SME Growth & Innovation

Examining smart technology adoption, institutional integration, and financing sustainable digital ventures across sub-Saharan Africa.

Gender Equity & Informal Economy

Researching traditional ROSCAs, women empowerment in informal cooperatives, and digital financial literacy gender disparities.

Energy & Regional Trade Policy

Evaluating energy demand patterns in SMEs, global commodity price volatility from external shocks, and competition cybersecurity policies.

Academic Works

Research Outputs & Papers

Explore peer-reviewed journal articles, books chapters, case studies, and ongoing working papers.

Career Progress

Research & Consulting Experience

Research / Teaching Assistant

Oct 2023 – Present

Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, Lekki, Lagos

  • Collaborating with senior faculty to review and draft academic papers, case studies (e.g., Onafriq, Waza Fintech), and national industry reports.
  • Designing and administering stakeholder surveys, focus group discussions, and econometric data processing.
  • Assisting in lecture preparation and assessments in business economics and sustainable finance.

Research Assistant (Contract)

April – July 2026

Sahara Power Group Market Intelligence & Energy Demand Project

  • Investigated power demand, consumption dynamics, and operational disruptions among SME electricity consumers in Lagos State.
  • Conducted quantitative data analysis using Excel and Stata for policy-oriented infrastructure recommendations.

Data Analyst & Report Consultant

Oct 2025 – Jan 2026

ACT Foundation (Short-Term Technical Assistance)

  • Analyzed secondary evaluation data to synthesize evidence-based narratives, learning briefs, and donor-ready policy reports.

Ease of Doing Business Consultant

June – Sept 2025

Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC)

  • Participated in national tour across North-Western Nigeria to gather field survey data for the Subnational Ease of Doing Business Report across 36 states.

SDGs Fellow

Jan 2021 – Dec 2022

Teach For Nigeria

  • Taught in underserved public schools, leading literacy projects to drive SDG Goal 4 (Quality Education).
Methodological Capacity

Research Tools & Econometric Software

STATA
Advanced Panel Data
R Studio
Statistical Analysis
Python
Data & Text Mining
E-Views
Time Series Analysis
SQL & SPSS
Data Management
Power BI / Tableau
Data Visualization

Key Research Trainings & Workshops

  • Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA): Impact Evaluation Workshop on Randomized Control Trials (RCTs), Covenant Univ (2024).
  • IZA / FCDO G²LM|LIC: Development Economics Training, LSE (2025).
  • World Bank Group: Manage Successful Field Research Certificate (2026).
Academic Foundations

Education & Credentials

MSc Economics

University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

2019 – 2021

Thesis: Impact of Household Income on Demand for Healthcare Services in Ikenne Community, Ogun State (Supervised by Prof. A.O. Lawanson).

BSc Economics

Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria

2012 – 2016

Grade: Second Class Honours Upper Division (Cumulative GPA: 4.17 / 5.00)

Academic Network

Academic Referees

Faculty and senior researchers who can attest to my research capabilities.

Professor Bongo Adi

Faculty, Lagos Business School

Pan-Atlantic University, Ajah, Lagos

badi@lbs.edu.ng

Professor Evans Osabuohien

Senior Lecturer / Professor

Covenant University, Sango Ota, Ogun State

evans.osabuohien@covenantuniversity.edu.ng

Dr. Olayode Agboola

Faculty, Lagos Business School

Pan-Atlantic University, Ajah, Lagos

oagboola@lbs.edu.ng

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