24 August] 1871[1] in Kaubi (now Pornuse) village, Mulgi Parish – 3 July 1941 in Tallinn) was an Estonian diplomat and politician who served as State Elder of Estonia in 1924.

After briefly returning as a doctor at Reimers ophthalmology clinic, Akel practiced a private ophthalmologist in Tallinn between 1902 and 1912, with an exception for 1904–1905, when he served as an army physician in the Russo-Japanese war.

During his term as Elder of State, the Communist Party of Estonia carried out a failed coup d'état attempt on 1 December; while Akel escaped unharmed, Minister of Transport Karl Kark was killed.

Akel was also Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1923–1924, 1926–1927 and 1936–1938, and Estonian envoy to Sweden and Denmark in 1928–1934 and Germany and the Netherlands in 1934–1936.

Later, he was a member of the Estonian National Assembly (Rahvuskogu) in 1937, and of the Riiginõukogu (the upper chamber of Parliament) in 1938–1940.