{{Short description|Nigerian economist, investment banker and politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Use Nigerian English|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Wale Edun | honorific_prefix = Chief | honorific_suffix = CVO | image = Adebayo Olawale Edun at WEF Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development, 2024.png | alt = | caption = At a WEF special meeting in 2024 | office = Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy | term_start = 21 August 2023 | term_end = 21 April 2026 | president = Bola Tinubu | predecessor = Zainab Ahmed | successor = Taiwo Oyedele | office2 = Lagos State Commissioner of Finance | term_start2 = 1999 | term_end2 = 2004 | governor2 = Bola Tinubu | predecessor2 = Muhammed Ajibola Olagbaye | successor2 = Ismail Adebayo Adewusi | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | party = | children = | parents = | relations = | education = | alma_mater = {{flatlist| * University of London * University of Sussex }} | occupation = {{hlist|Economist|investment banker|politician}} | profession = | website = }}
Chief '''Adebayo Olawale Edun''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CVOh}}, commonly known as '''Wale Edun''',<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://punchng.com/tinubu-nominates-wale-edun-into-presidential-transition-council/|newspaper=The Punch|title=Tinubu nominates Wale Edun into presidential transition council|date=29 March 2023 |accessdate=31 August 2023}}</ref> is a Nigerian economist, investment banker and politician who served as the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy from August 2023 to 21 April 2026.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Onuah |first=Felix |date=2023-08-16 |title=Nigeria's Tinubu appoints banker Olawale Edun as finance minister -presidency |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigerias-tinubu-appoints-banker-olawale-edun-finance-minister-presidency-2023-08-16/ |access-date=2023-08-21}}</ref> He was appointed the Chairman of the African Governors’ Forum of the World Bank in 2023. He is the first Nigerian to occupy this position in 60 years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Olisah |first=Chike |date=2023-10-14 |title=Nigeria's Finance Minister, Wale Edun, gets World Bank appointment |url=https://nairametrics.com/2023/10/14/breaking-nigerias-finance-minister-wale-edun-gets-world-bank-appointment-chairs-african-governors-forum/ |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=Nairametrics |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Education == Edun holds bachelor's and master's degrees in economics from the University of London and the University of Sussex respectively.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ijaseun |first=David |date=2023-06-15 |title=Meet Wale Edun, special adviser to the president on monetary policy |url=https://businessday.ng/life-arts/article/meet-wale-edun-the-new-to-special-adviser-to-the-president-on-monetary-policies/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=2023-08-21 |newspaper=BusinessDay|language=en}}</ref>
== Career == From 1980 to 1986, Edun worked at Chase Merchant Bank (later Continental) in Lagos, Nigeria. He joined the World Bank in September 1986 through the elite Young Professionals program, where he worked on economic and financial packages for several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. In 1989, he co-founded Investment Banking & Trust Company Limited (now Stanbic IBTC) and served as executive director.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Olisah |first=Chike |date=2023-08-16 |title=Ex-Investment banker, Wale Edun, is Minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy |url=https://nairametrics.com/2023/08/16/wale-edun-is-minister-of-finance/ |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=Nairametrics |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1994, he founded Denham Management Limited, which has since become the Chapelhill Denham Group; he served as chairman there from 2008 to 2021.
=== Political career === In 1999, he was appointed Lagos State commissioner of finance by then governor, Bola Tinubu, a position he held until 2004.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sulaimon |first=Adekunle |date=2023-08-17 |title=Meet Wale Edun, revered economist, named Tinubu's finance minister |url=https://punchng.com/meet-wale-edun-revered-economist-named-tinubus-finance-minister/ |access-date=2023-08-21 |newspaper=The Punch|language=en-US}}</ref>
He was the chairman of the governing council and the board of trustees of the Trust Fund for the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) for the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Report (UNEP) on Ogoniland.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-08-04 |title=Buhari inaugurates Wale Edun-led BoT, governing council for Ogoni clean-up |url=https://tribuneonlineng.com/buhari-inaugurates-wale-edun-led-bot-governing-council-ogoni-clean/ |access-date=2023-08-21 |newspaper=Nigerian Tribune|language=en-GB}}</ref>
On 16 August 2023, President Bola Tinubu appointed him minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy. He was sworn in on 21 August 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Aworinde |first=Oluwatobi |date=16 August 2023 |title=Full List: Portfolios Of Tinubu's 45 Ministers |work=Channels TV |url=https://www.channelstv.com/2023/08/16/full-list-of-ministers-and-portfolios/ |access-date=21 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Tour operators: How Lola Ade-John can succeed as tourism minister - P.M. News |url=https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2023/08/19/tour-operators-how-lola-ade-john-can-succeed-as-tourism-minister/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=2023-08-21 |language=en-US|newspaper=P.M. News}}</ref>
On 21 April 2026, President Bola Tinubu approved a minor cabinet reshuffle in which Edun was removed as Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy. He was succeeded by Taiwo Oyedele.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Odeniyi |first=Solomon |date=2026-04-21 |title=Tinubu sacks Wale Edun, Dangiwa as ministers |url=https://punchng.com/breaking-tinubu-removes-edun-dangiwa-in-cabinet-reshuffle/ |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=Punch Newspapers |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Olawale |first=Animashaun Ahmed |date=2026-04-21 |title=Tinubu sacks Edun, appoints Oyedele as Finance Minister |url=https://guardian.ng/news/tinubu-sacks-edun-appoints-oyedele-as-finance-minister/ |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News |language=en-GB}}</ref>
== Personal life and philanthropy == {{Main|Cripps–Appiah–Edun family}} Himself a direct descendant of the Egba official Adegboyega Edun,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forevermissed.com/adebiyi-edun/tributes|title=Olawale Edun's tribute to Dr. Adebiyi Edun|date=2021}}</ref> Edun is married to Amy Adwoa Appiah, a daughter of the Ghanaian statesman Joe Appiah and his British wife Peggy Cripps, who was an author. One of their three sons is the British actor Adetomiwa Edun.<ref>Mosley, Charles (2003), ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage'', 107th edition, vol. 3, p. 3063.</ref>
Edun is a board member and the Nigerian chair of the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 April 2021 |title=Wale Edun lauds Duke of Edinburgh's legacy |url=https://thenationonlineng.net/wale-edun-lauds-duke-of-edinburghs-legacy/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=21 August 2021|newspaper=The Nation}}</ref> He is chairman of Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame, a non-profit youth development organization that runs amateur boxing in Lagos.<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 August 2010 |title=Lagos Boxing Hall Of Fame Clocks One |url=https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2010/08/06/lagos-boxing-hall-of-fame-clocks-one/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=21 August 2023|newspaper=P.M. News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=2021-06-19 |title=Edun urges corporate Nigeria to emulate GOtv's intervention in boxing |url=https://guardian.ng/sport/edun-urges-corporate-nigeria-to-emulate-gotvs-intervention-in-boxing/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=2023-08-21 |newspaper=The Guardian|language=en-US}}</ref> He is also the chairman of Livewell Initiative, a health-based NGO.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ologunagbe |first=Olamide |date=2023-08-21 |title=Fiscal headaches awaiting Edun as finance minister |url=https://businessday.ng/news/article/fiscal-headaches-awaiting-edun-as-finance-minister/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=2023-08-21 |newspaper=BusinessDay|language=en}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Finance Ministers of Nigeria}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edun, Wale}} Category:Cripps–Appiah–Edun family Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the University of London Category:Alumni of University of London Worldwide Category:Alumni of the University of Sussex Category:Nigerian bankers Category:Finance ministers of Nigeria Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Honorary commanders of the Royal Victorian Order