Nigerian Anohu named AfDB Investment Forum chief

Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - The African Development Bank (AfDB) late Tuesday named Chinelo Anohu head of the Bank's Africa Investment Forum. Anohu is the highly accomplished international corporate lawyer, the Bank said in a news dispatch from its headquarters in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. Anohu, an accomplished member of the London Stock Exchange Africa Advisory Board, took effect from September 1, 2019, the Bank said in a newspatch. She also served as Director-General of the National Pension Commission of Nigeria for five years. With a formidable track record in formulating investment strategies, Chinelo brings extensive knowledge of institutional investment practice and experience in attracting new capital. She also has expertise in the development of innovative asset classes, the Bank says, spanning pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, private equity and private family wealth funds. The Bank is set to hold the 2019 edition of the Africa Investment Forum on 11-13 November 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa, after a successful inaugural edition last year attracted $39 billion in investment interests for bankable deals in Africa. The Africa Investment Forum has become Africa's premier multi-stakeholder transactional platform for leveraging investments from the private sector, African and global financial institutions, global pension funds and sovereign wealth funds and other institutional investors. It also provides an unparalleled platform for engagements with African Heads of State and Governments to discuss, in the Forum's unique Investment Board Rooms, policy, business and investment incentives to close transactions in real time, the Bank said. AfDB Presidnt, Dr Adesina Akinwunmi, said: "I am delighted that Chinelo Anohu is joining us as the Head and Senior Director of the Africa Investment Forum. He lauded her can-do-attitude, leadership, hands-on experience in working with global pension funds and institutional investors. He also said her extensive global networks among institutional investors, will significantly position and help the Africa Investment Forum to drive its global agenda to attract more investments to Africa. Chinelo began her professional career as an Attorney with the global oil conglomerate, Chevron, Nigeria. She worked in legal and financial services firms in Nigeria and the United Kingdom before joining the Nigerian Bureau of Public Enterprises. As a consultant assigned by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Chinelo helped to restructure and privatize the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, Nicon Hilton Hotel and AfriBank, among several others. An adept and sound negotiator, she successfully worked with acquiring entities In the process, and also is liaising and managed complex relationships, including with the Nigerian National Assembly and labour organizations. Under her leadership as Director General of the Nigerian Pension Commission, the number of contributions rose from $5 million to close to $8 million, while assets under management grew from $19.3 billion to a record $42 billion. She also introduced innovative micro pension structures that created opportunities for informal sector workers to be included in the contributory pension scheme, the Bank said. -0- PANA DJ/VAO 3Sept2019