The Team

Itunu Grace Ishola is a Nigerian scholar specialising in Africa–China relations and international development. She is a 2022 Yenching Scholar at the Yenching Academy of Peking University, where she completed her Master’s degree in China Studies with a concentration in Politics and International Relations. Her research examines China’s global engagement, with a particular focus on Africa–China cooperation in areas such as governance, education, human capital development, and public diplomacy.

Ishola holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chinese Language and International Education from Capital Normal University in Beijing. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and has conducted extensive fieldwork, ethnographic research, and interviews with diverse participants across Africa and China, contributing to a deeper understanding of contemporary Africa–China engagements.

She previously served as Vice President of the Peking University African Students Association (PUASA), an influential organization dedicated to providing academic and social support for African students at Peking University and throughout China. Ishola is the recipient of the 2024 Baoping Distinguished Thesis Award and the 2023 Li Anshan Prize for Excellence in African Studies, both in recognition of her exceptional academic contributions to African Studies at Peking University.

She also serves as Head of the Academic Planning Committee for the African Diaspora in China Network, an affiliate organisation of the African Union based in Beijing, where she plays a leading role in academic strategy and program development.