Lekan Otufodunrin 

Tell me more about what you do? 

I am government policy advisor. In other words, I craft macro, and sometimes, implement micro policies in an advisory capacity. This is usually in the International trade segment, and covers a wide range of issues, particularly redefining a country’s comparative advantages in a highly competitive global economy. Nigeria needs that re-defined, currently.

I get asked a lot why my focus has been more to foreign governments, and not the Nigerian government. Well, if a country and its people are ready and hungry for change, in as much as I have the talent and skill pool to add value to their change cycle, I would. Ghana is right next door to Nigeria, and between 1997 and 1999, I did a host of development work in that country, including a bespoke assignment as part of Queen Elizabeth IIs state visit to Ghana, in 1999.

I do not hold back as long as the people are eager and willing with a show of sincere commitment, then I will offer them the expertise we can. 

  You have not done much with Nigeria , what is the hindrance? 

  I hinted on this above a little, but let me expand further. First, it has to do with the business culture. We have different business culture in different countries. Have you fallen in love with the business culture or you are reluctant to get trapped in the culture, so we have to be cautious. 

Two years ago, we did a small advisory remit in Nigeria, and previous to that, I had developed a human capital relationship on two occasions with the Lagos Business School, in areas covering the telecommunication industry, just when it was taking shape in the early 2000, and private sector business advisory . 

As indicated, we have odne some work across the ECOWAS region. In 1993 or there about, for the then government of Cote D’Ivoire, on Tourism development, when they caught on the idea of attracting African Americans to their “then” beautiful paradise country. I worked with Adama Coulibaly, who was then the Tourism Minister, and his director, Wilfred Adebiaye.

In Ghana, we worked on a process audit for then SSB bank, now Societe Generale bank on its SIKA card, which was actually then in 1997, the first chip offline money purse in the entire West African region. I worked with Earnest Debrah, who was a Vice Preside