Abiola Aderibigbe

Abiola Aderibigbe is a distinguished, multi-award-winning, British-Nigerian General Counsel, Board Director, Academic and Global Consultant who is dual-qualified in the UK (England & Wales) and Europe (Ireland). He possesses well over a decade of specialised experience in construction, energy, infrastructure and engineering law, as well as international project and development finance. Abiola is widely recognised for his expertise in Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) contracting and his deep familiarity with leading standard forms, including FIDIC, JCT and NEC. As a PhD candidate, his research on adversarialism and statutory good faith in construction contracting complements a substantial portfolio of high-level legal, development finance, and policy work.

He has advised on major projects across construction, energy, infrastructure and technology, including greenfield and brownfield developments, hospitals, data centres and commercial real estate. He has acted for and alongside commercial banks, development finance institutions and multilateral partners on project-financed and asset-backed transactions, bringing together rigorous contract strategy, risk allocation and governance. His work consistently sits at the intersection of construction law, sustainable development and international project finance.

His leadership roles span both professional bodies and mission-driven organisations. He serves as General Counsel and Board Director (and Chair of the Ethics Committee) at The Security Institute, Global General Counsel at How to Change the World, and Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel (and Board Secretary) at PSJ UK, a UK-registered charity focused on peacebuilding and social justice. He is also General Counsel and member of the Advisory Committee at the African Business Trade Association (ABTA). He previously served as Group Head of Legal & Commercial at the BESA Group, where he led a legal and commercial function that delivered significant savings and risk-reduction for members.

Alongside his executive responsibilities, Abiola is deeply involved in professional education and thought leadership. He is Programme Leader and Course Director for the LLM in International Construction Law, and the LLM in International Dispute Resolution Law at Liverpool John Moores University (in partnership with Informa Connect). He is also Course Director and Visiting Faculty at the International Faculty of Finance (IFF, part of Informa), and Faculty Director at the Chartered Institute of Professional Certifications, where he designs and delivers advanced programmes in construction, energy and infrastructure law for global practitioners.

Abiola is an active advocate for systemic reform in African construction markets. He is currently leading a prominent advocacy campaign for a Nigerian Construction Act, built around five core co-equal pillars (the “Aderibigbe 5 Pillars”) of payment security, contractor grading, health and safety, skills transfer and governance/anti-corruption – with the overarching aim of saving lives, strengthening institutions and boosting investor confidence in Nigeria’s built environment. Bringing together legal depth, board-level leadership and a clear public-interest mission, he operates at the nexus of law, policy and practice in the global construction and infrastructure space.