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Boss Of The Week

Tosin Adewuyi: International Banker with a Difference

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By Michael Effiong
High-flying business types  of today are meant to be impressive, but Tosin Adewuyi is a banker of the old mould: Simple, humble, understated and super efficient.
When he took the top job of FBNBank UK’s Executive Director and Head of Business Development, people talked about his rise in surprised tones. But it is no surprise that Adewuyi has got to where he is — he is a cerebral and affable guy who has no time for frivolities as well as a media- shy family man. His insight and analysis are always impressive, his opinions invaluable.
It just a few years in, he has risen to the enviable position of Executive Director, Corporate planning Directorate at First Bank and there is no doubt that he has handled his responsibilities with both flair and sure hand.
With grace, courage and an unabashed willingness to give his best at all times, Tosin has been setting new standards with his team members.
Under his leadership, the Corporate Banking Franchise has achieved significant growth in assets and net revenue.  He was also able to reposition the Business and portfolio of FBN UK in line with the Group’s revised strategy for the Franchise while there.
Prior to his latest appointment, Tosin was the Group Executive, Corporate Banking.
His adventure at the banking giant began  as FBNBank UK’s Executive Director and Head of Business Development, a role he occupied when he joined the FirstBank Family in 2017.
Under his leadership, the Corporate Banking Franchise has achieved significant growth in assets and net revenue.  He was also able to reposition the Business and portfolio of FBN UK in line with the Group’s revised strategy for the Franchise.

He has spent the last five years bringing his international experience to bear at FirstBank, where apart from his position as Executive Director, he is a member of the Management Committee as well as Non Executive Director of FBN UK.

His experience set includes leading international investor trips selling Nigeria as a viable investment destination and raising funding for projects in Nigeria in key sectors such as Power, Oil & Gas, Healthcare as well as working with multilateral institutions like World Bank to attract much needed investment.

Tosin who is one of those bankers who believe that integrity and profitability can co-exist attended one of Nigeria’s unity Schools, Federal Government College, Ogbomoso.

Those who are close to him revealed that he always had a penchant for figures and critical thinking and as such they were not surprised that he eventually ended up in banking and finance.

He attended Kingsway College, London, where he did his BTEC Diploma in Business and Finance from where he proceeded to study Economics and Accounting at the University of Manchester.

The Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) is an International Banker with over 25 years’ experience covering Sub-Saharan Africa, with over 15 of those spent in Senior Management roles.

His working career really took off at KPMG. It was during his stint there, which was about five years, that he qualified as Certified Chartered Accountant. He was also at Standard Bank, London where he made a mark too.

He later joined J.P. Morgan as Managing Director and also the Head of its Nigeria Business for eight years.

In his role, he led the execution of J.P. Morgan’s strategy for Nigeria and managed key client relationships including the Central Bank of Nigeria, Ministry of Finance, Debt Management Office, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, and top-tier Nigerian Banks and Corporates.  In addition to his role in Nigeria, he was also the Head of Treasury Services (Cash Management and Trade) for Sub-Saharan African.

From JP Morgan he joined the First Bank Group where he has steadily risen due to his penchant for excellence and attention to the minutest of details.

Tosin is proficient in developing and implementing growth strategies across all lines of Business, with expertise in Corporate and Investment Banking, Treasury, Investor Services and Trade Finance.

He is a proven Leader of Business Development Teams, with a deep knowledge of both the European and Sub-Saharan Africa financial landscape.

His prior roles in Trade Finance, Corporate Banking, Debt Capital Markets, Financial Institutions Coverage and Correspondent Banking have also enabled him excel.

Tosin was a member of the J.P.Morgan EMEA Diversity Committee and one of the senior members of the Black Organization for Leadership Development.

He is an Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and was on the 2012 Power List- Business, Finance and IT as one of the top 100 influential black people in UK.

There is no iota of doubt that Tosin Adewuyi is a business leader par excellence and having just hit age 50 on December 1, 2022, it is not out of place to celebrate this worthy Nigerian as our BOSS OF THE WEEK.

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Boss Of The Week

Martial Kpochan: Africa’s Entrepreneurial Pride

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By Eric Elezuo

Africa is a great land, and Africans are great and intelligent people, contributing more than their quota to the growth and development of world economy, sustainability and peace. This is a direct consequence of the untold efforts of the continent’s men and women of different class and creed, who are doing great things across the length and breadth of the continent and beyond. One of such indefatigable geniuses is the incredible Martial Kpochan, an African of Beniniose descent, who plies his enterprise across every available space in the universe. He majors in trade and investment, auditing and accounting among distinguished entrepreneurial endeavours.

Martial Kpochan image looms large, and speaks volumes in the financial and accounting world as he is reputed to be the brain behind the founding and establishment of the 10 Principles of Economy of Being, which has garnered a wide global recognition.

Born in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on June 30, 1981 to the family of Mr and Mrs Pierrot Kpochan, Martial as he is fondly known among family and friends, is an epitome of business solutions, initiatives and economic renewal, having invested over 20 years of his life in entrepreneurship, garnering experience in financial auditing, accounting expertise, and business and damage valuation. Martial Kpochan has, without equivocation, built a remarkable career rich in diverse experiences and deep expertise.

Martial’s professional career kickstarted in 2002, when he was absorbed at the audit firm, SACOR, in Paris, France. Afterwards, and with a backload of experience, he moved to Montreal, Canada, where he joined Picard Choronzey Inc.

In 2005, he returned to France and worked with BDO and DELOITTE groups in quick succession.

Budding with the zeal to further affect the world, Martial, in 2008, and driven by an entrepreneurial vision, desire to affect humanity, his country of birth and his country of residence, France, he founded Natray Consulting Group, a company he chairs till the present.

Among many of his larger than life academic and professional build-ups and accomplishments, Martial is certified in Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA), a framework developed by the IMF and the World Bank for assessing public financial management.

He is also a statutory auditor at the Court of Appeal of Versailles, and his qualifications also include certifications in business and damage valuation, as well as degrees in accounting expertise and advanced accounting and financial studies. He is a member of the Order of Chartered Accountants of Benin, the Order of Chartered Accountants of France, and the South African Institute of Professional Accountants.

Additionally, Martial Kpochan has led numerous audit and financial expertise missions for prestigious companies, governments, and projects funded by international donors such as the World Bank and the European Union, positioning him as a recognized leader in his field.

Under his leadership, Natray Consulting Group has become a major international player with a significant presence in Africa and Europe. Martial Kpochan’s international experience spans several continents, with missions in France, Canada, Hong Kong, South Africa, West Africa, North Africa, and Central Africa. This exposure to diverse economic contexts has allowed him to develop great openness and a deep understanding of global financial dynamics, enhancing his ability to adapt to local specificities while maintaining a global vision.

In parallel with his career in finance, Martial Kpochan is passionate about humanist philosophy. This intellectual quest led him to found the Institute of Economic and Political Intelligence in 2012, followed by the creation of the Institute of Being, which he currently presides over. This institute aims to defend the public interest in the decision-making process.

In this capacity, he has published the “10 Principles of the Economy of Being,” which he actively promotes in Africa and internationally. Today, Martial Kpochan dedicates himself to the Institute of Being, where he continues to influence public decision-making by defending the general interest.

His dual approach, combining rigorous technical expertise with deep philosophical reflection, gives him a unique perspective on addressing the complex challenges facing contemporary societies. His vision and leadership position him as a key actor capable of making significant contributions to public governance and improving management practices on a global scale.

Aligned with his grand vision of the Economy of Being, he supports the ECRU ESSENCE project, which aims to create a production line using locally made fabric from Benin, bringing it to the forefront. This project could create more than 10,000 long-term jobs. Through his investment, the ecru fabric was showcased in its first fashion show during FESMMA 2024.

His commitment to democracy has led him to participate in two major conferences at the Vatican, one on education and democracy, and the other on democracy in a fragmented world. On these occasions, he had the opportunity to meet the Pope during two audiences.

His involvement and visionary approach have allowed him to meet the President of the Parliament of the Canton of Geneva and participate in a conference at the World Economic Forum.

Martial is an advocate for the dissemination of the “10 Principles of the Economy of Being.” He presented these principles at the Global Governance Fund, an ECOSOC NGO of the United Nations, as well as at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa.

He also showcased these principles during Mandela Days, where he took part in a charity event distributing thousands of meals and blankets in Tsakhane.

A happily is married man, and wonderful father to his four lovely children, Martial dreams to see the adoption of a Universal Declaration of the Economy of Being, similar to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

For your steadfast commitment to the growth of African economy through down to earth Enterprises, you are our boss of the week. Congratulations sir!

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Boss Of The Week

Dr. Funmi Adewara: A Medical Entrepreneur Like No Other

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By Eric Elezuo

“Your dreams must exceed your current capacity to achieve them…you are enough, you can do it,” – Dr. Funmi Adewara 

Nigerians in the Diaspora have left nothing to chance in proving that the country is blessed with abundance of talents across diverse fields of human endeavours; entertainment, medicine, sports, academia and a whole lot more.

Among the categories of bring our pride home Nigerians is the beautiful and sophisticated Founder/Chief Executive Officer of Mobihealth International, Dr. Funmi Adewara, who prides herself as an accomplished medical technocrat, physician, entrepreneur, telehealth expert among a host of distinct profitable human engagements. It’s worthy of note that Adewara’s Mobihealth is not a run-off-the-mill health institution; it is a dedicated and specialized arm of medication and medical health delivery. She was once Forbes Woman African Technology and Innovation Award winner.

Dr. Adewara with President, AfDB, Adewunmi Adesina

Young vibrant and highly calculative, Dr. Adewara cuts across as the dual citizen of many ages, juxaposing medical disciplines of diverse times to create an all new medical development, acceptable for all times, and operational in this present dispensation.

A proud graduate of the University of Ibadan, where she studied Medicine, Dr. Adewara was born and brought up in Kaduna State before higher education brought her down to the west. She relocated to the United Kingdom after graduation to further her education at the University of Cambridge, where she earned a Master’s degree in Bioscience Enterprise.

Among a lot of things she is, within a brief spell of time, Dr. Funmi Adewara covets a British-Nigerian status, walks head held high as a Cambridge-trained Bioscience Entrepreneur, and is proud to tell every listening ear of her undeniable status of a globally recognized telehealth expert. Hers, in achievements, is not a fluke. She is a hard worker, and it is no accident that she is everything that she is today.

Her exceptional service delivery, inventive abilities, initiatives and dedication to assignments have bestowed on her recognitions and awards from A-list corners.

She is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, and has an extensive background in medicine, pharmaceuticals, and business development. Her personal profile credited her with over 15 years of experience working within the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and the pharmaceutical industry as a Drug Safety Physician.

For those, who must have harboured the question, why Mobihealth? It is of paramount importance to note that she was, and is still driven by passion for the transformation of healthcare in underserved communities.

Consequently, Dr. Adewara’s Mobihealth International, a company dedicated to solving critical healthcare challenges in Africa and beyond came to existence. Her leadership has seen Mobihealth develop comprehensive telehealth solutions that address issues like shortages of healthcare professionals, high treatment costs, and long-distance travel for patients.

Having partnered with the high and mighty in global business, she had received grants from nobles including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on which pedestal Mobihealth’s integrated Telehealth clinics are making strides towards achieving Universal Health Coverage, with a focus on primary healthcare centers (PHCs).

Dr. Adewara’s work has garnered international recognition, earning her numerous awards. She was one of seven global winners of the World Bank SDGs&Her 2020 Awards, selected from over 2,400 entries, and was also a winner of the Sanofi Africa-Tech Challenge in Paris in 2020. Under her visionary leadership, Mobihealth pioneered the first telehealth initiative for the Nigerian Air Force in 2021, marking a historic milestone in Africa.

Dr. Adewara is also a recipient of the African Female Tech Founders Award, which led to her invitation to the Africa-UK Investment Summit by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2020. In 2023, she was named the winner of the Forbes Woman African Technology and Innovation Awards and became a top 50 finalist in Africa’s Business Heroes competition. Her entrepreneurial journey was also celebrated at the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Milestone Maker Program, where she was showcased at New York’s Times Square in 2023.

 

With H.E Wemkele Mene, Secretary General, African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat.

Dr. Funmi Adewara continues to be a leading voice in telemedicine, advocating technological solutions that improve healthcare access for all.

With her giant strides in the field of medicine, the accomplished CEO of Mobihealth International, has traced her way home to Nigeria, where she advocated the adoption of telemedicine in the Nigerian health sector.

She noted that it could help address 60 per cent of the medical issues facing Nigerians. This was during the two-day 2024 Africa Social Impact Summit held in Lagos, with the theme, ‘Reimagining Progress: A New Blueprint for Sustainable Growth in Africa’, and co-convened by the Sterling One Foundation, and the United Nations Nigeria.

Contributing her say during a panel session at the summit, Adewara stressed the urgent need for a national adoption of telemedicine in Nigeria, noting that patients do not need digital skills to access telemedicine services.

To her, telemedicine offers a transformative solution to Nigeria’s healthcare system in the immediate and long term, and could address 60 per cent of the medical issues facing the citizens, adding that it connects patients in remote areas with medical professionals, providing timely consultations, diagnoses, and treatments without the need for travelling.

With staff of FCTA

She informed that more key benefits of telemedicine adoption in the country abound, and they include increased access to health services, cost-effectiveness, improved health outcomes, enhanced data management, and education, among others.

In her words “With quicker access to medical expertise, patients can receive timely interventions, reduce the risk of complications, and improve overall health outcomes.

“Digital platforms facilitate better tracking and management of patient data, leading to more informed and effective healthcare decisions, adding that knowledge and skills can be facilitated through telehealth to address the skill gap and boost manpower,” she informed.

With Kenyan President H.E William Ruto during US Africa Business Forum, Washington DC 2023

She is obsessively committed to driving robust telemedicine adoption, especially for primary healthcare, and has not hesitated on seeking collaboration government agencies, healthcare providers, and private sector stakeholders.

Her goals are broad and inordinate, accommodating improvement of access to maternal and child health, reproductive health, health education, as well as reducing hospitalisation by 70 per cent, and making it cost-effective.

It is her diligence and marketing ability of sellable product and services that prompted Afreximbank to sign project preparation facility with Mobihealth to drive digital healthcare solutions across Africa.

The pact is expected to bolster the expansion of Mobihealth’s telemedicine services in Nigeria, and also assess the feasibility of establishing similar services in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and Cote d’ Ivoire.

Under the terms of the agreement, Afreximbank will part-finance project preparatory activities that will leverage MobiHealth’s successfully integrated telemedicine proprietary platform, initially piloted in Nigeria, to the four additional countries. This initiative is expected to rapidly lead to the establishment of a network of telemedicine clinics across Africa, fully equipped with out-patient facilities. The project preparation facility of up to US$ 1.5 million is expected to advance the Project to bankability, whereupon this is expected to unlock further investments estimated at US$ 65 million.

It takes only an entrepreneur that knows her onions to land such magnificent advantages. It is very clear that she is practically existing to affect lives, irrespective of whose.

She noted that “The signing of this facility agreement marks yet another significant milestone in MobiHealth’s quest to proffer digital healthcare solutions across the continent. We are thrilled to have the support of Afreximbank, a pan-African multilateral financial institution with the scale and capacity to enable us to achieve this objective in a timely manner. Their involvement is a strong validation for our business model and I would like to laud Afreximbank, AIF and USTDA for their visionary leadership and steadfast commitment to support the provision of quality healthcare to African citizens.”

She has also partnered with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to expand access to quality healthcare, improved health facilities and to bring medical expertise closer to the people.

The entrepreneur is well traveled, and had interfaced with notable World Leaders in politics and business among others. Some of them are Dr Akinwumi Adesina
President, African Development Bank (AfDB); Kenyan President, H.E William Ruto, at the US Africa Business Forum, Washington DC 2023; H.E Wemkele Mene, Secretary General, African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, in addition to numerous congratulatory messages from notable World personalities and bodies including former Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari and Forbes.

ABOUT MOBIHEALTH

Mobihealth is a Nigerian subsidiary of Mobihealth International Ltd., a UK-domiciled telehealth provider. Mobihealth was founded by Dr. Funmi Adewara in 2017 and publicly rolled out its service offerings in 2020.

In late 2020, Dr. Adewara was recognized by the World Bank for her work with Mobihealth and the development of its digital healthcare platform with the “Her World Bank SDGs&Her (Sustainable Development Goals) Award 2020.” The award was a part of a virtual award event carried out by the World Bank, in partnership with UNDP, UN Women, and the Wharton School Zicklin Center that recognizes women entrepreneurs. From 2020 to 2021, Mobihealth’s subscriber base in Nigeria grew from less than 4,000 to more than 34,000, and revenue increased from $83,500 to $814,400.

Adewara is a distinguished family woman, and has been prolific and combining the home front with entrepreneurship,  and by dint of hard work and divine assessment, none has suffered neglect.

This is saying a hearty congratulations to greatness; congratulations Dr. Funmi Adewara for being a medical entrepreneur like no other.

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Boss Of The Week

The Consummate Entrepreneur, Kola Adesina

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By Eric Elezuo
His trajectory to the top is an enviable story of perseverance, focus, commitment and attention to details. He is a clear symbol of opportunity created, opportunity taken and opportunity adequately utilised. His name is Chief Kola Adesina, the Group Managing Director, Sahara Power Group, a leading international energy (power, oil and gas) and infrastructure conglomerate.Born on August 12, 1964, Kola Adesina, embodies the advantages of what education can do, taking his strides in academic excellence from day one. Even till the present, he is still pursuing the greater good of education, directly and indirectly.

An entrepreneur of international repute, the managing director of Sahara Group, former Chairman of Egbin Power Plc, and board chairman of Ikeja Electric, is a toast among the teeming number of Nigerian philanthropists. He basically stands out.

Adesina earned both his B.Sc degree in Insurance and M.Sc degree in Business from the prestigious University of Lagos. He furthered his education by obtaining executive programmes at Harvard Business School and The Wharton School of Advanced Management Programme.
Adesina’s steides into the world of the As began immediately after his undergraduate days as he joined Insurance industry to Kickstart a career that was to blossom to classical height. He later joined Sahara Group where he moved up the ladder due to his selling skills.
At Sahara Group, he led various projects which included the nationwide strategic management of the supply chain of Fuel to the Emergency Power Plant of the defunct National Electricity Power Authority (now Power Holding Company Nigeria Limited), the Majestic Oil delegation on the acquisition of the Sierra Leone Refinery and also managed the Crude Oil contract of the Group in Côte d’Ivoire where he also served as the Director of Infrastructure, responsible for the acquisition of strategic assets in Africa.He served as a member of the Presidential Committee inaugurated by President Jonathan on the Accelerated Expansion of the Electricity Infrastructure in Nigeria, which culminated in the unbundling of PHCN successor companies. He also chairs the board of Ikeja Electric.In 2022, he was crowned as Vanguard Private Sector Icon of the Year.

According to a narrative volunteered by his organisation, the billionaire industrialist is a consummate entrepreneur with experience that traverses the academia, finance, energy, trade and diplomacy. He’s a Director at Sahara Group, a leading international energy (power, oil and gas) and infrastructure conglomerate with operations in over 38 countries across Africa, Asia, Middle East and Europe.

Kola currently leads the vision of Sahara Power Group aimed at bringing energy to life by deploying diversified power sources to light up lives, businesses and sustainable interventions in Nigeria and across Africa. Kola specifically oversees the Group’s affiliates including Ikeja Electric, the largest privately owned power distribution business in South Saharan Africa (SSA), Egbin Power Plc – the largest thermal plant in SSA  (with 1,320MW installed capacity with ongoing expansion plans to increase the capacity over two-fold, providing a quarter of the total generating capacity in Nigeria) and First Independent Power Limited.

Kola combines his years of management and business diplomacy experience into creating and executing innovative strategies for governments across sub Saharan Africa in the energy sector. Kola is a much sought after resource person on energy related issues, especially the power sector in Africa and is also a frontline speaker at conferences across the globe.

He is passionate about empowering young people and takes great pride in mentoring youths to seek creative ways of galvanizing their energies for sustained excellence and productivity. Mr. Adesina is a pan-Africanist, a seasoned entrepreneur and avowed promoter of the Pan African Dream of regional integration and trade.

Am accomplished family man, Kola Adesina holds a B.SC (Insurance), M.SC. (Business), Masters in International Law and Diplomacy and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Insurance.

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