Kole Shettima is the Director of the Mac Arthur Foundation's Africa Office in Abuja, Nigeria.
He is also responsible for grant making in the areas of Population & Reproductive Health, Human Rights and International Justice, Girls Secondary Education, Higher Education and & Accountability.

Prior to joining the Foundation in 1999, Shettima taught at the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria, the University of Toronto, and at Ohio University, USA. He was among other State Coordinator of Women in Nigeria; Coordinator of the Working Group on Nigeria, Toronto; and Co-chair of the Economic Justice Working Group of the Inter-Church Coalition on Africa, Toronto. Also, Shettima is on the board of several organizations. He has published in several academic journals including Africa Development, Review of African Political Economy, African Studies Review and Journal of Asian and African Studies.

Shettima has a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, a Masters Degree from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria and his undergraduate degree is from the University of Maiduguri.