Cash for Food Sector Lead - COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale - Sokoto State, Nigeria
(2025-11 - 2026-07)
- Technical lead on a USG-funded emergency response project, managing field operations, budgets and reporting across five LGAs alongside consortium partners, sequencing activities against seasonal supply and security conditions.
- Led market intelligence on farmer demand and cash-transfer effectiveness, ensuring adaptive program strategies.
- Represented program in Cash Working Groups, aligning interventions with government and INGO partners.
- Developed SOPs, tools, and reporting systems to strengthen accountability and donor compliance.
Senior Programme Team Lead - Zahra Energy Consultant Ltd - Zaria, Kaduna, Nigeria
(2023-07 - 2025-10)
- Led a 15-person team delivering commercial infrastructure projects across North-East Nigeria; owned budget, delivery timelines and quality of execution.
- Structured and closed an $80M infrastructure deployment deal with NXT, creating 2,700+ direct jobs, managing the full commercial process from negotiation to close.
- Coordinated with government and private-sector bodies on regulatory and operational alignment; kept founders and senior management briefed on performance against targets.
Programme Manager - GAC – Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) - Kano, Nigeria
(2023-01 - 2023-06)
- Managed a USD 15M portfolio and led six teams; owned procurement, logistics and supplier negotiations to secure best-price terms.
- Ran due-diligence and risk-assessment processes to inform investment decisions across enterprise-IIW portfolio.
- Conducted client and channel analysis to guide investment decisions and campaign briefs.
- Produced donor-compliant reports with actionable recommendations, aligning outcomes with resilience and commercialization goals.
Senior Policy Consultant - National Cooperative Financing Agency of Nigeria (CFAN) - FCT, Abuja
(2021-09 - 2022-03)
- Led 13 zonal managers and advised the CEO on operational, financial and digitization improvements for a 247,500-member organization.
- Built commercial relationships with HarvestPlus, FMN, Kellogg's and seed companies, including Notore Seeds, Premier Seed Nigeria, Seed Co Nigeria and The Seed Project Co. Ltd., developing a business model to give smallholder farmers access to improved seed varieties (Vitamin A maize, hybrid rice, iron pearl millet).
Group Intervention Manager - FCDO-Funded LINKS Project (Tetra Tech) - FCT, Abuja
(2020-01 - 2021-04)
- Managed a team that closed an NGN 750M private-sector deal with Jigawa State Government.
- Built business cases for private-sector partners to access inputs and finance, including a transport-impact study during COVID-19 supply disruption.
- Designed and executed digital-first campaigns with local partners to increase adoption of agricultural inputs.
- Developed positioning and branding strategies for private-sector partners, reinforcing trust and market perception.
- Built replicable commercialization models that strengthened farmer uptake across priority states.
Market Manager - DFID – Propcom Mai-Karfi Programme (Palladium) - FCT, Abuja
(2018-04 - 2019-12)
- Led mechanization activities and supply-chain coordination across Tier-1, Tier-2 and KKJ partner states.
- Partnered with Syngenta and CropLife member companies to promote Good Agronomic Practice (GAP) and the Safe Use of Pesticides, deploying Crop Protection Products (CPP) responsibly among smallholder farmers.
- Led value-chain analyses to inform political-economy work, monitoring national agricultural policy changes affecting market development and identifying agents of change.
- Mentored and supervised 18 field officers; handled contracts, MoUs and monthly performance reviews against operational targets.
Intervention Manager - DFID – Propcom Mai-Karfi Programme (Palladium) - FCT, Abuja
(2015-04 - 2018-03)
- Led a 32-person field team integrating 12,000+ farmers into an e-technology supply platform across Niger, Gombe, Taraba and Benue States.
- Facilitated 50,750+ input purchases through cooperative supply channels to 10,150 farmers across 16 LGAs.
- Built and managed distributed field teams, setting clear objectives and delivering feedback to achieve program milestones.
- Maintained intelligence on seed availability, agro-dealer coverage, and farmer demand to guide seasonal priorities.
- Oversaw performance reporting and risk management, ensuring program accountability and donor compliance.
Regional Sales Manager - Tough-Stuff International (TSI) - Kano, Northern Region
(2011-05 - 2015-01)
- Managed a USD 17M regional budget and 21 staff across administration, operations, strategy, field, marketing, sales, logistics, manpower and finance — reporting to TSI UK HQ.
- Spearheaded regional recruitment, procurement, and budget reporting; built and maintained NGO and government relationships across Northern Nigeria.
- Procured and distributed 1,500 solar kits to institutional and individual customers, managing inventory and logistics end-to-end.
Senior Marketing Manager - Nokia Corporation (Blue Arrow) - FCT, Abuja
(2008-02 - 2011-04)
- Managed a USD 3.5M business-partnership budget; monitored competitor pricing nationwide and built a regional product-performance database to inform stock and clearance decisions.
- Drafted business-area marketing plans and promotional communications materials, liaising with telecom providers to align messaging and market positioning.
- Trained sales and marketing teams on product roadmaps and led major customer-loyalty events.
Assistant Registrar, Finance & Administration - Institute of Chartered Economists of Nigeria - Kano
(2005-03 - 2008-01)
- Established financial-management systems and grew membership from zero to 31,000+ within two years through operational and outreach improvements.
Regional Coordinator, North-Western States - Institute of Treasury Management of Nigeria - Kano
(2004-09 - 2005-01)
- Managed programmes and finance administration across all North-Western States, leading 15 programme officers and controlling procurement within budget.
Business Development Manager - TADCO Agribusiness Nigeria Limited - Kano
(2003-10 - 2004-08)
- Managed the supplier base and grouped local farmers into cooperatives for product aggregation, maintaining quality and contract compliance.
- Founded the Moringa Cooperative Association with 1,500+ farmers across Kano and Jigawa, supporting 15,000+ MT under Good Agricultural Practice standards — sourcing raw material for local and international institutional buyers.
Credit Supervisor - Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Development Finance Office - Yola
(2002-08 - 2003-09)
- Registered agricultural credit facilities and mobilized over NGN 70M (0% interest) from CBN SMEIS funds via commercial banks for smallholder cooperatives.
