22nd November 2018 Abuja, Nigeria
When I tell people I live in Lagos, Nigeria, I often get quite a lot of quizzical looks… Why did you move there with your family? Is it safe? What about Boko Haram? Is corruption not endemic? As the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, I know that the challenges of corruption, insecurity and poverty […]
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28th June 2018 Abuja, Nigeria
At the British High Commission (BHC) in Abuja, we are stepping up our efforts to become greener, and to help Nigeria be greener too. Having spent the past 16 months living in Nigeria I am almost immune to seeing mounds of burnt and discarded plastic bottles and bags littering the roadside and choking the waterways. Almost […]
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10th May 2018 Abuja, Nigeria
Moving from Kigali to Lagos last year, I expected a pretty jarring experience. I was going from a country of 12 million to a city of 22 million, from one of the world’s most pristine, orderly, safe places to what I expected to be, well, pretty loud and chaotic. And in many ways, Lagos did […]
10th April 2018 Abuja, Nigeria
On March 7th 2018, Oxford Policy Management (OPML) presented to over 80 key stakeholders in Abuja, the midline findings of the mixed-methods evaluation of the DFID-funded Child Development Grant Programme (CDGP). The CDGP programme is a six-year pilot cash transfer programme that aims to improve child and maternal health in two states of Northern Nigeria. […]
Read more on Midline Evaluation of DFID Funded Child Development Grant Programme reveals Positive Impact of Cash transfers on Child Nutrition in Northern Nigeria | Reply
22nd February 2018 Abuja, Nigeria
I recently organised a targeted Chevening Scholarship application workshop for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). Chevening is a holistic UK government funded scheme that prepares talented individuals for the future leadership of Nigeria, through a cultural exchange and master’s degree programme in the UK. The workshop was hosted in collaboration with the Christian Blind Mission (CBM) […]
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19th September 2017 Abuja, Nigeria
With a strong focus on learning and continuous engagement with Nigerian policy-makers, the Operations Research and Impact Evaluation (ORIE) project, led by Oxford Policy Management, was successfully completed in August 2017. ORIE has contributed for the past five years to inform nutrition research and the policy debates in Nigeria and beyond. ORIE provided operations research, […]
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7th September 2017 Abuja, Nigeria
I took up the Chevening portfolio in September 2015, a decision I have never regretted making. My passion for Chevening is so intense; I’m often asked if I’m an alumnus. Saddled with the task of administering and promoting this programme year-round in Nigeria, I find myself selling an opportunity that I know is absolutely priceless […]
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31st March 2017 Abuja, Nigeria
I’ll start with a potentially career-limiting admission: in recent years I hadn’t thought much about the Commonwealth. With UK-focussed (non-FCO) jobs and UK-focussed family life, it simply hasn’t been terribly visible to me. It brings memories of Steve Cram (my dad’s hero) winning races in the ‘80s, and a school trip to the Commonwealth Institute […]
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13th January 2017 Abuja, Nigeria
This Christmas was my turn to stay back in Abuja for Christmas while the family headed for London. I knew I would miss them terribly and so it was, but I did have the opportunity of attending a local staff member’s traditional wedding to look forward to. Aside from providing a fantastic insight into Igbo […]
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22nd December 2016 Abuja, Nigeria
On 23 November, the British High Commission and International Alert convened a workshop in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, where 2.2 million people are displaced. In North East Nigeria, stigma attaches to survivors of sexual violence. Stigma attaches to women who bear a child outside marriage. Stigma attaches to anyone associated with Boko Haram. Many […]
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