ActionAid Nigeria has appointed award-winning broadcaster and communications strategist Ayo Mairo-Ese and development expert Dr. Otive Igbuzor to its Board of Directors, in a move aimed at strengthening the organisation’s governance and strategic leadership.
The appointments, announced in a statement issued in Abuja by the Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Dr. Andrew Mamedu, take immediate effect and are expected to reinforce the organisation’s work on governance, advocacy, public policy and institutional development.
According to the organisation, the new board members will provide strategic guidance as ActionAid Nigeria implements its 2024–2034 Country Strategy Paper, Citizens’ Action to End Poverty and Injustice (CAEPI), while expanding collaboration with communities, civil society, government and development partners.
Mamedu described the appointments as a significant boost to the organisation’s leadership.
He said: “Mrs. Mairo-Ese and Dr. Igbuzor bring exactly the calibre of insight and integrity our Board needs at this moment. We are confident that their guidance will sharpen our voice and strengthen our impact in the years ahead.”
Mairo-Ese, popularly known as AME Global, is a co-anchor of The Morning Show on ARISE News Channel. A multiple award-winning broadcaster and communications consultant, she has earned national recognition for moderating conversations on governance, leadership and development.
She has been listed among Nigeria’s Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Journalism in 2023 and 2024 and has received several honours, including the 2024 ELOY Award for TV Presenter of the Year. She is also the co-founder of SpeakHer Hub Network, a social enterprise promoting communication excellence among women, and serves on the boards of several non-profit organisations.
Dr. Igbuzor, a pharmacist, public policy analyst and governance expert, brings more than three decades of experience in development and institutional reform. He is the Founding Executive Director of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) and previously served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy President of the Senate during the Ninth National Assembly.
He is also familiar with ActionAid’s operations, having served as the organisation’s Country Director in Nigeria between 2004 and 2009 before becoming International Head of Campaigns for ActionAid International.
A prolific author with more than 50 academic publications and 10 books, Igbuzor has held several leadership positions in public institutions and civil society organisations. In 2012, he was appointed by former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the Global Network of Men Leaders to End Violence Against Women.
ActionAid Nigeria said both appointees have expressed commitment to advancing the organisation’s mission of tackling poverty, inequality and injustice across the country.
The organisation, an affiliate of the ActionAid International Federation, operates in solidarity with vulnerable communities to promote social justice, gender equality and sustainable development in Nigeria.
