Professor Emmanuel Matthew Akpabio is a leading Human Geographer and Director of International Programmes at the University of Uyo, Nigeria. His work focuses on water governance, environmental justice, gender relations, and community participation across sub-Saharan Africa, with particular expertise in the socio-political dimensions of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH). A First-Class graduate and Best Graduating Student (1999) of the University of Uyo, he earned his MSc and PhD in Environmental and Resource Management, completing his doctorate at Lancaster University, UK, under the Commonwealth Split-site Scholarship. He is an Alexander von Humboldt–George Forster Fellow (Germany), JSPS Fellow (Japan), Marie Curie Individual Fellow (UK), and British Academy Visiting Fellow. Professor Akpabio’s research examines how infrastructure, culture, and governance shape everyday water access. As Lead Researcher in the IHE-Delft WDPP Programme (2022–2024), he generated influential evidence on gender inequalities in water access, advancing gender-responsive WaSH policy. His 2024 study Women, Water and Access highlights water spaces as arenas of power, identity, and agency. He has served as International Associate at the UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy & Science, Visiting Scientist/Policy Advisor to the Scottish Government, Director of the International Water Resources Association, and member of the World Water Congress Steering Committee.