MRS. KADARIA AHMED, M.CIoD

MODERATOR

Kadaria Ahmed is a respected and highly influential Nigerian/British journalist and media entrepreneur, trainer, and formerly strategic communications advisor. She sits on the board of trustees of the International Press Institute Nigeria and has been recognized as one of the 5 most influential people in the Nigerian media landscape.  Kadaria has advised respected private-sector companies, public institutions, and investors on managing complex relationships with government regulators, media, local communities’ capital markets & investors while also providing communication training for private-sector executives…

H.E. MR. BABATUNDE RAJI FASHOLA, CON, SAN

PLENARY SPEAKER  

Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN is a 1987, Law graduate of the University of Benin, and after a 14-year stint in private Law practice as a litigator, has had a public service career that spanned over two decades long.  In that period of public service, he has served as Chief of Staff and Commissioner in the Lagos State Government, two-term Governor of Lagos, and in May 2023 meritoriously concluded serving a second term as Minister of the Federal Government having first been appointed in 2015 and reappointed in 2019...

DR. JUMOKE ODUWOLE, M.CIoD

DISCUSSANT

Dr. Jumoke Oduwole MFR, is Special Adviser to the President on PEBEC and Investment in the Office of the Vice President. She served in the Buhari Administration from November 2015 to May 2023, first as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade, and Investment, then as Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business. She and her team delivered over 180 verifiable reforms across all arms and levels of government...

MR. OLANIYI YUSUF
DISCUSSANT

Mr. Olaniyi Yusuf is the Managing Partner and Lead of the Social Sector practice at Verraki Partners, a company dedicated to accelerating Africa's development through innovative business solutions. Before this role, which he assumed in April 2019, he served as the Country Managing Director of Accenture Nigeria from 2010 to 2019. Niyi is a respected transformation change manager who has advised C-level executives in both the private and public sectors on strategic change and digital transformation...

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MR. FRANK AIGBOGUN, HF.CIoD
MODERATOR

Frank Aigbogun is a journalist and publisher of BusinessDay newspaper, which he founded in 2001. He began his journalism career at The Guardian and later worked at Vanguard, eventually becoming the editor of all its publications. He also served as the Lagos correspondent for the Associated Press (AP)... 

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MR. JOHN OBARO
PLENARY SPEAKER

Mr. John Obaro is the founder and CEO of SystemSpecs, a Nigerian software company that created Remita, a popular e-payment solution used by the government. Before starting SystemSpecs in 1992, Obaro had a successful 10-year career in software development and IT. He worked as a part-time teacher, computer salesman, and systems developer at various companies, including the United Bank for Africa and the International Merchant Bank of Nigeria...

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MRS. FUNMI OPEKE
DISCUSSANT

Funke Opeke is Managing Director of MainOne, a leading Digital Infrastructure Service provider that built West Africa’s first Open-Access submarine cable system in 2010. In 2015, the company launched its data center operations in West Africa with MDXi with a $40M investment resulting in West Africa’s largest Tier III data center in Lagos, Nigeria, and now with a presence in Accra and Abidjan...

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MRS. OLATOMIWA WILLIAMS
DISCUSSANT

Mrs. Olatomiwa Williams is the CEO of Microsoft Nigeria and Ghana, where she leads the digital transformation of various sectors through cloud and AI solutions. She is a powerhouse in the tech industry with over 20 years of experience, delivering results, from building high-performing teams, and empowering businesses...

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DR. LUCY SURHYEL NEWMAN, CPT,F.CIoD
MODERATOR

Dr. Lucy Surhyel Newman refers to herself as a global citizen who is proudly African and of Nigerian descent. She is an International Consultant, Policy Advisor, and Author, with nearly four decades of experience in executive, non-executive, and consulting or advisory roles. Her work and advisory experience span the private, public, and nonprofit sectors  in Nigeria , including sub-regional, continental, and global professional networks as well as some multilateral agencies. Consequently, her professional and personal travels have provided her with opportunities to visit almost half of African  nations and four other continents on  multiple occasions...

MS. IVANA I. OSAGIE, M. CIoD
PLENARY SPEAKER

Ivana I. Osagie is the Founder/Chief Executive Officer of PWR Advisory – a leading Africa-focused ESG/Sustainability and Inclusion consulting firm. She consults for corporate organizations on sustainability/ESG with a focus on strategy, governance, and business integration, and she regularly runs board and management workshops. She is also a co-founder of Rising Tide Africa – a collective of female investors deploying capital into early-stage businesses in Africa...

DR. FRANKLIN N. NGWU M.CIoD
MODERATOR

MR. COSMAS MADUKA F.CIOD

PLENARY SPEAKER

Dr Cosmas Maduka was born in Jos on December 24, 1958. He is the founder, President/CEO of Coscharis Group.  He started Coscharis Motors as a one-man business and, over the decades has transformed the organisation into an indigenous wholly owned Nigerian conglomerate with diversified interest in various sectors namely Logistics (Coscharis Mobility). Information Technology (Coscharis Technologies). Agro – Allied (Coscharis Farms). Health (Coscharis Medicals). Properties (Coscharis Properties). Food & Beverages (Coscharis Beverages). Automotive (Coscharis Motors Plc.) that has one of the largest automobile portfolio with exclusive franchise in Nigeria of various globally respected iconic brands like the BMW, MINI, Jaguar LandRover, Ford, Renault, Grenadier and ABRO USA Auto Care / Components products respectively together with other subsidiaries outside Nigeria like in Ghana, Sierra – Leone, Cote D’Voire and Japan...

MRS. OLUYEMISI IRANLOYE
DISCUSSANT

Mrs. Oluyemisi Iranloye is a dedicated entrepreneur focused on sustainable farming and community growth. She founded Psaltery International Company Limited, a top food processing firm in Africa, specializing in cassava products. Originating from Ogbomosho, Oyo State, Nigeria, she aims to improve the lives of smallholder farmers. She earned a B.Tech in Biochemistry from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, and an M.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Ibadan...

MR. CHARLES ODII

DISCUSSANT

Charles Odii is the Chief Executive Officer/Director General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN). He is an author, entrepreneurship development expert, and small business advocate. Charles graduated from the Pan Atlantic University in 2013 with a Masters in Media communications, specializing in Marketing & communications where he also enrolled for a doctoral degree. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Information Systems from Covenant University...

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