Public Policy And Agent Interests

DR. ANDREW S. NEVIN, possesses a distinguished career spanning over three decades, with significant engagements as an entrepreneur, private equity investor, economist, and strategy consultant. His professional trajectory has seen him navigate prominent roles across Asia, North America, and Europe, culminating in his residency in Lagos, Nigeria.

Concurrently, Dr. Nevin has been instrumental in advancing sustainable economic strategies in Nigeria and broader Africa. Furthermore, he has been a leading advocate for recalibrating Canada's developmental metrics. Proposing a transition from the conventional GDP-centric approach established post-WWII, Dr. Nevin champions the adoption of a comprehensive "Flourishing Lens" that underscores the holistic well-being of the Canadian populace. This groundbreaking perspective is the focal point of an impending publication co-authored with Dr. Elizabeth Neill.

Commencing his professional odyssey at McKinsey & Company, Dr. Nevin's academic credentials are notably robust. He is a Harvard University alumnus, having earned his PhD in Economics, and a Rhodes Scholar who secured an MA in Philosophy and Politics from Balliol College, Oxford University. Additionally, he holds a BSc (Hon) in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Western Ontario, Canada.

DR. YEMI KALE is currently Managing Director & Group Chief Economist at the African Export-Import Bank. He was, before that, a Part-ner and Chief Economist/Head of West African Research and Insightsat KPMG Financial Services.

Dr. Kale served as Nigeria’s Statistician General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics between 2011-2021. He was also an analyst and at Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch Financial Services from where he be- came Group Head of Research and Investment Strategy at Investment Banking and Trust Company Plc (now Stanbic IBTC Bank plc). Dr. Kale also served as Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance and Technical Adviser to the Minister of National Planning, Nigeria, 2007-2011.

ALIYU AMINU AHMED is an expert in project management and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (M&EL). Ahmed's work encompasses health, education, water and sanitation, gender, digital rights, democracy, peace-building, and governance. He has worked extensively with international implementing partners, including the USAID, World Bank, UNDP, DFID, EU, NDI, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, thereby significantly helping to improve project efficacy and institutional capacity in Nigeria and West Africa.

Renowned for his participatory evaluation methods, Aliyu combines inclusive stakeholder engagement with statistical prowess, leading to impactful project implementation and comprehensive data analysis. As a leader in the M & E sector in Nigeria and Africa, he was the founding President of the Nigeria Association of Evaluators (NAE).

He is currently the Convener of the Data Science Monitoring and Evaluation Association (D@SMEA).

DR. TEMITOPE LANIRAN is an Economist at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Prior to joining the CBN, Laniran worked with the Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law, (CPEEL), University of Ibadan in Nigeria. Subsequently, he worked as an associate at the John and Elnora Fergusson Centre for African Studies (JEFCAS) and taught economics at the University of Bradford and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Brighton, UK.

He earned a BSc in Economics from Bowen University Iwo and an MSc in Economics & Finance and PhD in Development Economics from the University of Bradford. He is a recipient of several awards, including the Natural Resource Governance Institute and the prestigious Erasmus Scholar of the European Union Lifelong Learning Programme. His research interests are focused on economic growth and development issues of natural resource rich countries.

NURUDDEEN USMAN, CFA is an economist at the Bank of England. Prior to this, he was an economist at the Central Bank of Nigeria. He began his academic journey at the University of Nottingham, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics, followed by a Master’s in Economics from the University of Surrey.

He is also a CFA charterholder. Usman is a prolific writer, with numerous publications on Financial Economics. Usman is also affiliated with prestigious bodies like the Royal Economic Society (UK), the Nigerian Economic Society, and the Nigerian Statistical Association.

DR. SARAH ALADE is a Nigerian economist and banking executive renowned for her invaluable contributions to the financial sector. With an extensive career that spans several decades, Dr. Alade has held pivotal positions of influence and responsibility, distinguishing herself as a trailblazer in the realm of monetary and fiscal policy.

Among her illustrious roles, she notably served as the Special Adviser on Finance & Economy to the President of Nigeria. Dr. Alade is also a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). She served at the CBN for twenty-three years before retiring in 2017. Dr. Alade holds a BSc (Economics) and a PhD in Management Science (Operations Research).

DR. SHAMSUDDEEN USMAN is an economist currently serving as the CEO of Susman & Associates Ltd, a consulting firm based in Abuja. Dr. Usman earned his BSc in Economics from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria and his MSc and PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

In his illustrious career, Dr. Usman has held pivotal roles, including Minister of National Planning (2009-2013), Minister of Finance (2007-2009), Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (1999-2007), and Managing Director, NAL Merchant Bank (now Sterling Bank) (1995 to 1999). Dr. Usman has also served as an Executive Director in United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Union Bank of Nigeria. Dr. Usman is a former President and a Fellow of the Nigerian Economic Society. He is also a Fellow of the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria and of the Chartered Institute of Bankers.

PROF. BENEDICT ORAMAH is the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). He is a Professor of International Trade and Finance at Adeleke University and holds a doctorate in Agricultural Economics from the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

He has a rich endowment of publications, including technical and policy papers and books, with the most recent being Foundations of Structured Trade Finance, “Transiting to Green Growth in Fossil Export-Dependent Economies: A Pathway for Africa” in Global Policy, Wiley, “Export Credit Administration in Capital Scarce Developing Countries” in The Handbook of Global Trade Policy, and “Afreximbank in the Era of the AfCFTA” in The Journal of African Trade.

Prof. Olufemi Taiwo is a retired Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics at University of Ilorin in Ilorin, Nigeria. He obtained a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Ibadan, in 1976 and both an M.Sc. in Economics and PhD with specialisation in Public Finance from the London School of Economics in 1979 and 1981, respectively. He has authored and co-authored many academic and policy papers, largely in public finance and related issues, including fiscal policy, the public financial management system (PFM), and debt policy.He held several administrative positions during his career at the University of Ilorin. He was Coordinator, Self-Financing Academic Programmes (MBA & MPA) from 1989–1991; Acting Head/Head of Department, Department of Economics from 1989-90, 1991-94, and 1997-2000; and Dean, Faculty of Business and Social Sciences from 2000–2004.

Outside the university system, he served as Director General at the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Ibadan, from August 2011 to August 2015. He has also served as a consultant to several national and international organisations, including the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS), Abuja; the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Abuja; the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI); and the World Bank. During his career, he was conferred with several prizes, awards, and honours, including the Sir James Robertson Prize and Medals for Economics, 1975–76; the Bolanle Awe Revered Social Scientist and Ambassador for Change Award, 2013; the Kwame Nkrumah Leadership Award as West African Students Union Man of the Year, 2015; the Award of Honour, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Oyo/Osun/Ondo/ Ekiti Branch, 2015; and the University of Ilorin 2021 Merit Award.

FRANCIS OSUYAH is a seasoned chartered accountant with over a quarter-century of corporate management expertise and a rich background spanning manufacturing to service industries. He has a keen focus on corporate strategy development and implementation.

He is the founder and CEO of FROS capital and was until recently the Managing Director of Phillips Consulting SA, a company he was involved in for close to twenty years before establishing FROS Capital at the end of 2011. He is an alumnus of University of Luton (now University of Bedfordshire) and of the Executive Management programmes of the University of the Witwatersrand, University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, and University of Oxford.

His Highness, Muhammad Sanusi II is a distinguished Nigerian leader with a multifaceted career. After earning BSc in Economics from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1981, he furthered his studies with a degree in Sharia and Islamic Studies from the African International University, Sudan in 1997. His PhD in Islamic Law was obtained in 2024 from S.O.A.S, University of London.

Beginning his career as a Lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, he transitioned to the banking sector in 1985, holding pivotal roles with renowned institutions such as ICON Merchant Bank, a subsidiary of Morgan Guaranty Trust Bank of New York; Baring Brothers of London; and United Bank for Africa. Notably, he ascended to the esteemed position of Group Managing Director at First Bank of Nigeria. He was further appointed Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria in 2009. Emir Sanusi revitalised the financial sector and earned global accolades, including recognition by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in 2011.

CHARLIE ROBERTSON is the London-based head of macro strategy at FIM Partners, an investment firm whose headquarters are in Dubai. He was previously global chief economist at Renaissance Capital, and prior to that, chief economist for Emerging Europe, Middle East, and Africa with ING. He has also worked in the UK parliament, a defence think tank, and an economic research company.

In 2022, he published The Time Travelling Economist, focusing on literacy, electricity, and fertility as the key drivers for when economies take off from 1670 to 2070. It won runner-up in the Business Council for Africa’s Business Book of the Year in 2023. Charlie was the first non- African to be awarded African Icon of the Year by African Banker magazine in 2021. He was voted the top-rated Frontier analyst from 2016-20 in Institutional Investor/Thomson Reuters Extel surveys.

His first book, The Fastest Billion, co-authored with colleagues from Renaissance Capital, was published in 2012. His TED Global Talk on Africa’s coming boom stemmed from this book. Charlie did his bachelor’s degree at London School of Economics.

DR. OYEBODE OYETUNDE has a multidisciplinary background, having worked as a lawyer, chartered accountant, tax professional, fiscal policy expert, and investment banker over the course of his career.

Prior to being appointed as the Executive Director representing Nigeria and São Tomé & Príncipe at the African Development Bank, he served simultaneously as the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Buhari on Finance, Fiscal Policy, & Legal Matters as well as the Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning on Finance & Fiscal Policy. In both these capacities, he was a key member of the fiscal policy reforms team that supported the conception, structuring, and delivery of the Finance Acts of 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023, which legislation provided critical fiscal policy support for the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Budgets for fiscal years between 2019-2023.