ASR Africa Initiative unveils Ubon Udoh as pioneer Managing Director

• Ubon brings his wealth of experience spanning over 20 years to bear in steering the affairs of the initiative
• The ASR Africa Initiative is a brainchild of billionaire businessman, Abdul Samad
  Rabiu Fund has a yearly commitment of $50 million to developmental issues in Health, Education and Social Development

Wale Ameen
Online Editor

Consummate International Development and M&E expert, Ubon Udoh has been appointed as pioneer Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa).

In the new role, he brings to bear his experiences in Monitoring & Evaluation as well as his operational track record of programme coordination and results management of international donor funds and loans from Multilateral development banks.

Ubon Udoh brings his experience of over 20 years spanning areas like international development and project management into the new role. He has worked in various capacities for global agencies such as  The World Bank (North East Nigeria Multi sectoral Crisis Recovery Project), Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), African Development Bank (Nigeria Inclusive Basic Services Development Programme), GIZ, UN Women Peace and Security Programme, Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative (PCNI), North East Development Commission.

He has also worked with other agencies such as North East Recovery and Stability Programme (NERSP) as well as several state Governments in Nigeria.

Ubon Udoh was responsible of the overall coordination of M&E of the World Bank supported Multi-Sectoral Crisis Recovery Project – NERSP at the Presidential Committee on North East Initiative – a role he joined from being an M&E consultant to the UN Women in Peace & Security Programme (WSP-UNSCR 1325). Prior to this, Ubon had worked at the German Agency for Technical Cooperation & Development (later GIZ) where he held several roles in the GTZ/FGN Multisectoral Women Empowerment Projects in NE Nigeria and the GIZ/FGN Gender & Good Governance Projects in Plateau and Borno States, Nigeria in project development, strategy, and coordinating Monitoring and Evaluation.

The ASR Africa Initiative which is a brainchild of billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Abdul Samad Rabiu was recently set up with an annual pledge of $100million to tackle developmental issues within the African continent in areas such as Health, Education and Social Development, with Nigeria set to benefit $50million from it yearly while the rest of Africa has a commitment of $50million.

While speaking on the appointment of Ubon Udoh, the Chairman of ASR Africa who is also the Founder/Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu said that Ubon’s appointment showed the seriousness with which the initiative intends to carry out its mandate with a focus on systems, programme development and deployment, monitoring and evaluation as well as sustainability.

He said, “We are pleased to have Ubon Udoh lead the team at the ASR Africa initiative which has been setup to help bridge the development gap in these key areas of health, education and social development within Africa. Awell respected and proven expert in building systems and processes and managing donor funds and grants, with an exceptional record of tangible results and value for money, Ubon has added immense value to every institution he has been a part of, and we believe he is a perfect fit for the goals and aspirations of ASRi. He brings with him many years of experience as well as the expertise needed to drive the ASR Africa Mandate whilst also engendering sustainable partnerships for development across the African continent. ASR Africa is confident that he will bring these to bear in developing a sustainable programme for the initiative’s annual $100million Africa Fund for Social Research & Development.”

Before joining ASR Africa Initiative, he served as the Head of Monitoring & Evaluation at the North East Development Commission – North East Recovery and Stability Programme which included which included responsibility for over 1 billion dollars in loans and grants (World Bank, AfDB, Islamic Development Bank) across various projects dedicated to the recovery of North East Nigerian states from the ravages of the Boko Haram Insurgency, and multilateral interventions with national coverage for COVID 19 response.

The Abdul Samad Rabiu Initiative for Africa was established in March 2021 with an annual fund of 100million dollars dedicated to solving development issues in the areas of Health, Education and Social Development on the African Continent.