By Adagher Tersoo
Whoever suggested President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to nominate Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr because the pioneer Managing Director and Chief Govt Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Training Mortgage Fund (NELFUND) rendered a generational and patriotic service to the nation.
Since assuming management, Mr. Sawyerr has demonstrated braveness, a wealth of recent concepts, visionary pondering, and targeted management in piloting the affairs of the company.
For observers monitoring the progressive agenda set by Mr. Sawyerr since his appointment, it’s evident that deliberate and strategic improvements are reshaping NELFUND’s operational framework. These adjustments will not be simply administrative changes however a part of a broader transformation technique.
From operational protocols to normal administration, NELFUND is adopting a brand new narrative, one which positions the company as a essential participant within the transformation of Nigeria’s tertiary training subsector. The company is being restructured to fulfill world requirements whereas addressing the distinctive wants of Nigerian college students.
NELFUND is a nationwide mortgage scheme launched by President Tinubu to make sure greater training turns into accessible to indigent college students who could not have the monetary capability to pursue it. The scheme targets each potential and present tertiary training college students aged 16 and above youths both making ready to enter or already enrolled in greater establishments.
This daring initiative underscores the President’s dedication to inclusive training. The thought is easy however profound: no younger Nigerian ought to have their educational potential reduce brief on account of lack of funds. This precept types the inspiration upon which NELFUND was established.
Sawyerr assumed management with clear readiness for the duty. His modern mindset is reworking the scheme right into a platform that not solely offers monetary help but additionally equips college students with sensible and market-relevant expertise. Throughout a media briefing final 12 months, Sawyerr revealed {that a} “complete expertise acquisition programme could be launched by the Fund to supply coaching in numerous vocational and technical fields.”
The message from his management has remained constant: daring pondering, innovation, and a visionary strategy. These qualities are defining the brand new NELFUND.
Probably the most commendable initiatives underneath his management is the event of specialised software program to make sure college students with disabilities can entry the mortgage scheme. This inclusive measure, introduced at a stakeholders’ assembly in Benin Metropolis, Edo State, is being carried out in collaboration with the Nationwide Fee for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPWD).
The selection of Mr. Sawyerr to steer NELFUND displays not solely his managerial experience but additionally his robust observe report in each private and non-private sectors. His entrepreneurial mindset, artistic problem-solving expertise, and sound judgment are already having a constructive affect on the company’s operations.
The event of clear blueprints and a strategic roadmap underneath his management is anticipated to end in commonplace working procedures that may place NELFUND on par with its world counterparts. This can be a essential step in guaranteeing the company’s effectiveness and sustainability.
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Mr. Sawyerr brings to NELFUND over 35 years of various expertise spanning training, personal fairness, logistics, healthcare, and agriculture. Identified for his strategic perception and impactful management, he has constantly pushed development and transformation throughout numerous sectors. Born on October 6, 1964, in London, England, his journey from a stable academic basis to business management is a testomony to his dedication and capabilities.
His educational journey started at Igbobi School, Lagos, and continued in the UK, the place he accomplished his GCSEs at Royal Russell Faculty. He proceeded to Cambridge Tutors Training Belief for his A Ranges and earned a Bachelor’s diploma in Chemistry from Royal Holloway, College of London, in 1987.
Mr. Sawyerr’s early profession featured key roles within the UK’s pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. He labored with main corporations together with Glaxo, Quintiles, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Recordati, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Novartis, specializing in advertising, gross sales, and provide chain administration. These roles offered a robust basis for the high-level management tasks he would later assume.
In 2006, he transitioned to logistics, becoming a member of DHL Exel Provide Chain as Head of Provide Chain for London, the place he managed a group overseeing GBP 137 million in income. He was later promoted to Head of Life Sciences – Oil & Fuel / Client Merchandise at DHL in Dubai, managing high multinational accounts throughout the Center East, North Africa, and Turkey.
At Medtronic USA Inc., Mr. Sawyerr served as Head of West Africa, main the corporate’s enlargement throughout 16 international locations. His efforts had been instrumental in establishing Medtronic’s presence within the area by means of strategic partnerships with distributors, authorities companies, and healthcare establishments.
His entrepreneurial spirit led to the co-founding of ALTS Training in 2010, a Nigerian agency providing personalized academic assist. As Chairperson, he has facilitated entry to high quality training for over 1,000 college students, negotiated scholarships, and arranged biannual training gala’s that join Nigerian college students with world establishments.
In 2012, he co-founded AFGEAN, Nigeria’s largest recent produce cooperative. This initiative has empowered greater than 2,000 farmers by addressing challenges equivalent to post-harvest losses and market entry, in collaboration with European governments and worldwide our bodies.
His ardour for bettering healthcare in Nigeria is obvious in his position as Accomplice and Industrial Director at Anaesthesia & Crucial Care Consultants (A3C). In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, he performed a pivotal position in managing essential care companies and securing service agreements with main hospitals.
Past his government roles, Mr. Sawyerr has served as a trusted advisor to worldwide organizations together with the European Union, the Overseas and Commonwealth Growth Workplace, and the Rwanda Growth Board. His insights have been featured by the BBC, CNBC Africa, and different world platforms.
As a thought chief, he has authored quite a few articles on advertising, gross sales, and provide chain administration, revealed in revered journals throughout the UK and Africa. He’s an everyday speaker at prestigious boards, together with the European Growth Days and the Europe-Africa Enterprise Heads of Authorities Discussion board.
Adagher Tersoo, a critic and public affairs analyst, will be reached through [email protected]
