Professional Experience:
1. Consultant, African Development Bank Group - 2020 - Present; Board Director - Shelter Afrique Development Bank, Nairobi, Kenya. Currently Chairperson of the Board of Directors; Former Chair of the Credit and Investment Committee of the Board.
2. Founder/CEO - ALPHACITIES Consulting - 2019 - Present. Bespoke consultancy services to various clients including GIZ, UK DFiD, Central Bank of Nigeria, Centre for Affordable Housing Finance, Economic Commission for Africa, African Development Bank Group.
3. Pioneer Executive Director - Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company - 2014 - 2018. Coordinated the set up and operationalization of Nigeria's first mortgage refinance company and superintended first bond issuance to raise capital. • Spearheaded the launch of IFC’s US$2 billion EDGE Green Building Program into the Nigerian market to promote energy efficient buildings and promote sustainability.
4.Senior Advisor, Minister of Finance/Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Federal Republic of Nigeria - 2012 - 2015. Advised and supported then Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on several successful interventions into the Nigerian economy, including rebasing along IMF guidelines to make it the largest economy in sub-Saharan Africa. Led the design and execution of an innovative gender budgeting framework, implemented in partnership with five key sectoral ministries and UK DFID, leading to improved livelihood outcomes for millions of women in the Agriculture, Health, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Works, and Water Resources sectors of the Nigerian economy, among other notable achievements.
5. Communications and Knowledge Specialist, Cities Alliance Trust Fund, The World Bank Group - 2004 - 2012.Worked with task teams on the execution of defined slum upgrading and city development strategy programs in major south-south cities. Managed Alliance’s advocacy initiatives on promotion of cities as engines of economic growth. Task managed Cities Alliance’ knowledge management, communications and stakeholder engagement programs. • Instituted successful partnerships and advocacy initiatives aimed at integrating CA’s key products, Slum Upgrading (SU) and City Development Strategy (CDS) into urban planning programs across major cities in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Jordan, the Philippines, Ethiopia, and Niger Republic, among others, leading to improved urban planning processes, sustainable slum upgrading programs, and higher livability indices for those cities.
6. Communications Officer - Africa Human Development Vice Presidency, the World Bank Group, Washington DC - 2003 - 2004.Implemented development communications strategies to support complex World Bank project operations in health, education and urban development sectors. Examples: Researched and analyzed education policy reform processes in Eritrea, Uganda, Kenya and Mauritius for World Bank education sector projects focused on the promotion of girls’ education, funded under the Norwegian Education Trust Fund (NETF). • Coordinated social mobilization, advocacy and community sensitization components of a $150 million World Bank Nigeria Partnership for Polio Project, executed in partnership with UNICEF, the WHO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rotary International, resulting in 98% eradication of the polio virus in the country.
7. Publications Officer, External Affairs and United Nations, the World Bank Group, Washington DC - 2000 - 2003. Advised World Bank Vice-Presidential units on appropriate knowledge management and publication strategies to distill, package and disseminate lessons learned from project operations.
8. Managing Director/CEO, MINAJ Broadcasting International, London, UK - 1998 - 2000. Provided executive leadership for the set-up and launch of MBI TV - a satellite TV channel with programming targeting the significant Afro-Caribbean community in the UK.