BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Madam Stella Dogubo-Ovai, the newly appointed Director of Finance and Resource Mobilisation of the Africa Blue Economy Roundtable (ABER), has assumed office with a pledge to uphold transparency, accountability and professionalism.
Dogubo-Ovai, who is based in New Jersey, United States, described her appointment as both a privilege and a great responsibility.
She expressed appreciation to the Convener and Chairman of ABER, Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo, for the confidence reposed in her, while also thanking the board, management and members of the organisation for their support.
“To be entrusted with this position is both a privilege and a great responsibility, and I do not take it lightly,” Dogubo-Ovai said in a statement.
She said she would bring diligence, integrity, transparency and professionalism to the management of ABER’s finances.
“I will work closely with my colleagues to support its growth, stability and long-term vision,” she said.
Dogubo-Ovai also pledged to uphold the highest standards of accountability and justify the confidence placed in her.
She thanked her family, friends, mentors and former colleagues for their support and encouragement, and expressed readiness to work with members of the ABER family.
Earlier, Kiyaramo expressed confidence that Dogubo-Ovai’s international exposure, integrity and wealth of experience would strengthen ABER’s financial architecture.
He said her appointment would also contribute to advancing the organisation’s continental resource mobilisation strategy.
ABER, also known as The Blue Council Africa, is an intercontinental multi-stakeholder platform established to accelerate Africa’s Blue Economy in line with AU Agenda 2063 and the continent’s Blue Economy Strategy.
The platform also aligns its activities with the UN Decade of Ocean Science (2021–2030) and the AU Decade of Women (2020–2030).
ABER’s mandate is anchored on the three Ds of Dialogue, Deal-making and Delivery, with emphasis on policy advocacy, investment mobilisation and implementation.
The organisation works across fisheries and aquaculture, maritime security, blue tourism, marine conservation, blue finance, innovation and capacity building, as well as women and youth inclusion.
The Directorate of Finance and Resource Mobilisation is expected to strengthen ABER’s financial governance and mobilise climate finance, blue bonds, private capital and institutional funding.
It will also support financial structuring to de-risk and attract investment into Africa’s Blue Economy sectors, while promoting the long-term sustainability of The Blue
Council Africa.
Jude Ossai (JP) a veteran journalist is a National Diploma holder in Mass Communication from Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. He also studied at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Enugu and Imo State University, Owerri for his first and second degrees in Mass Communication, respectively.
He writes extensively on politics, crime, corruption, climate change, healthcare, human rights, social justice, among others.
He began his journalism career in The Republic Newspaper, Lagos in 1987 as a Special Correspondent in Benin City, Edo State.
In 1990, he was posted from Lagos to old Anambra State as a State Correspondent in Enugu.
In 1994, he joined the African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, Ibadan, Oyo State, Publisher of Nigerian Tribune Newspapers where he rose to the rank of Southeast Bureau Chief.
Retiring from the mainstream traditional media in 2019, he began another journey in online newspaper publication.
He was the Overall Best Reporter in 2015, an award bestowed on him by Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Enugu State.
He has attended several workshops/seminars organised by multi-nationals, government institutions, local and international media including BBC.
He is also a unionist and had held top positions as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists of Enugu Correspondents’ Chapel and State Council of NUJ, respectively. He was also a one-time Enugu State Secretary of Sports Writers’ Association of Nigeria (SWAN).
