Benjamin Ovio is a professional development management consultant with over a decade experience in conceptualising, designing, developing project concepts and proposals, resource mobilisation and fund raising, implementing, monitoring and evaluating sustainable social development projects and programmes in Africa, Europe and North America. A certified management consultant with a Master of Arts degree in International Development Management from the Institute for Development Policy & Management, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom and a Master of Science in Social Works & Community Development. His area of specialization and research interests are: Sustainable Community-driven development; Politics & Development; Perspectives in Development; Social Development, Analysis & Policy; Political Economy of Development; NGO Management & Strategy; Small Enterprise & Social Enterprise Development; Microfinance; Development Research; Planning & Managing Development; Organization Development & Change Management; Strategic Planning & Organisational Sustainability Planning; Quality Assurance & Quality Management Systems in the voluntary sector with specific interest in Non-governmental organisations, Social Enterprises and Community interest Companies.

I demonstrate expertise and knowledge in the workings of multilateral and bilateral development agencies and international foundations and multinational corporations i.e. The World Bank Group; United States Agency for International Development; European Commission; Shell Foundation; Shell International; Exxon Mobil and Government Agencies etc.

I was awarded the prestigious British Chevening Scholarship in 2004 by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the University of Manchester as a middle level development management professional. He equally emerged, a two finalist in the Development Marketplace World Bank Global Competition in Washington D.C. in 2002 & 2003; and winner of the Shell Foundation Global Sustainable Community Programme Award in 2003.

My cognate experience in enterprise development is reflected in the various projects I have designed, implemented and monitored for the last 10 years. Currently, I am involved as Technical Consultant in a Business Development & Advisory Support Services Project for 21 communities in Rivers State, Nigeria funded by Nigeria LNG Company Limited. This project is a technical, entrepreneurship and micro-enterprise development training, mindset re-orientation project aimed at developing existing enterprises and promoting new ones. This project also involved the training and capacity building of key informants as community-based training of trainers programme and forward linkage of beneficiaries with external funding agencies and business development organisations.

I have consulted for the World Bank, USAID, EU, Shell Foundation and other multinational corporatations like the Shell Petroleum Group, ExxonMobil, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, Addax, etc.

Expertise

• Designing Social Development Programmes and Projects
• Corporate Strategic Planning and Business Development
• Partnerships/Network Building
• Development Research Skills
• Human Resources Development and Utilisation, Organization Development
• Community Mobilisation and Community Relations Skills
• Micro Enterprise Development & Business Development Services
• Quality Management Systems and Institutional Strengthening/Capacity Building.
• Design & Implementation of Pro-poor Micro Credit Programmes
• Monitoring & Evaluation of social development projects using logical frameworks of analysis
• Facilitation, Training using adult learning methodology
• Participatory Rural Appraisal
• Donor Funding/Leveraging
• Extensive experience in Project Planning, Policy Analysis and Development Management in Public Sector with focus on Sustainable Livelihoods, Enterprise & Employment Generation,
• Participated in National Strategies development through Participatory Methods including Poverty Reduction Strategy for Nigeria;
• Gender Mainstreaming and Gender Responsive Budgeting

Institute for Development Policy & Management,
University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
MA International Development: Development Management 2005

University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria
B.Sc Business Education (Accounting) 2nd Class Upper 1995

JCI Training Institute, USA
Diploma, Adult Learning Methodology October 1997

Institute of Economic Development 2010
Institute of Management Consultants 2007
Development Studies Association, UK 2005
Nigerian Institute of Management 2003
New York Institute of Entrepreneurship 2001
Nigerian Institute for Training & Development 1998
JCI Training Institute, U.S.A. 1998
Institute of Personnel management 1996

TRAVELLING, READING, WRITING, MEETING PEOPLE & NETWORKING