***As he pledges to boost investors’ confidence, infrastructure development
The approved the appointment of Dr. Jobson Ewalefoh as the Director General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).
The approval followed the presentation and adoption of report of Committee on Trade and Investment, after the transmission of his nomination by President Bola Tinubu in letter to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio seeking the consideration and confirmation of Dr. Ewalefoh. as the DG of the ICRC in line with the ICRC Act, 2005.
Last week, while responding to questions during the screening by the Committee, Dr. Ewalefoh assured that he will improve the operations of the Commission and improve investor confidence in the PPP ecosystem.
He also reiterated the need for the inclusion of review clause in PPP agreements to ensure flexibility and sustainability of projects.
He equally spoke about the sanctity of contracts and the insistence on the adherence to contract provisions and clauses by all parties.
The Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Sadik Umar said during the screening, the committe lauded the nominee for his vast academic qualification, knowledge of Public Private Partnerships and Infrastructure development as well as wealth of experience in the field of PPP negotiation.
The new DG also received accolades from the former governor of Edo State, Sen. Adams Oshomole and other members of the committee.
In his remark, the President of the Senate, Godwill Akpabio congratulated Dr Ewalefoh on his confirmation and charged him to ‘’selflessly amd sacrificiallywork to improve the renewed hope agenda of the current administration. I congratulate him on behalf of the 10th Senate and wish them well in their endeavours”.
Dr. Ewalefoh is a professional with over two decades of experience in government and International Development Organizations, in addition to expertise in Public Sector Reforms, Public-Private Partnerships, Public Policy, Procurement and Development.
The appointment is among the latest appointments made by Mr. President towards the delivery of his Renewed Hope Agenda.
The President, while making the appointment charged Dr. Ewalefoh to bring his wealth of experience to bear and demonstrate absolute dedication and probity in the management of the ICRC and in pursuit of its strategic objective of accelerating investment in national infrastructure through the innovative mobilization of private-sector funding.
Until his appointment, Dr. Ewalefoh was the Director of Operations, in charge of the Public Private Partnership Resource Department (P3RD) of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) with responsibility for the Development, Procurement and Delivery of Public Infrastructure Projects in the Energy, Agricultural, Oil & Gas, Urban, Social, Defence & Security sectors.
He had previously served as the Director of the Contract Compliance Department (CCD) of the ICRC, where he oversaw the Monitoring and Compliance of over 100 Concession Agreements in Energy, Port (wet and dry), Agriculture, Aviation, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Health Care Services, Financial Services, Telecommunications, Manufacturing and Railways with responsibility for the custody of all the PPP contracts executed at the Federal Level.
He was the pioneer Head of the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) unit of the ICRC that undertook the setting up the ICRC ICT infrastructure, by implementing and deploying the ICT backbone of the Commission.
Prior to joining the ICRC, Dr. Ewalefoh was involved in the implementation of the European Union (EU) support to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as a consultant for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with responsibility for implementing the ICT component of the Project, which involved a nationwide ICT infrastructure deployment in support of the anti-corruption program in the Country.
He started his career with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), where he played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s reform and privatization of Public Enterprises.
Dr. Ewalefoh has a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Development Studies from the University of South Africa (UNISA), Master degrees in Economics (MSc) from Enugu State University of Technology, Information Technology (MIT) from Ladoke Akintola University, Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Abuja, Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Abuja and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (BSc) from the University of Benin.
Dr. Ewalefoh’s deep thirst for knowledge has led him to some of the leading schools in the World including the Harvard University, Brookings Institute, University of Pennsylvania, University of North Carolina, Lagos Business School among others.
He is an avid reader and a publisher, with numerous published articles in renowned journals and contributions to many publications on varied developmental issues.