Niger Delta Development Forum Agenda
Registration Hours
8:30 am - 5:00 pm - Congressional Ballroom Foyer
Light Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:30 am - Congressional Ballroom Foyer
Welcome and Opening Session: The Case for Development of the Niger Delta
9:30 am - 10:45 am - Congressional Ballroom AB
Welcome remarks: Dennis Flemming, Executive Director, Niger Delta Partnership Initiative (NDPI) Foundation
Morning Keynote Speaker: Bisa Williams, Deputy Assistant Secretary for West Africa, US Department of State
Remarks: Ambassador Ade Adefuye, Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S
Panel Introduction: Eniola Mafe, NDPI Foundation and Ese Emerhi PIND Foundation
Moderator: Jennifer G. Cooke, Director, Africa Program, CSIS
Panelist: Sam Daibo, Executive Director, PIND Foundation
Panelist: Prof. Femi Ajibola, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of New Nigeria Foundation
Panelist: Ambassador Joe Keshi, Director-General, BRACED Commission
Panelist: Honorable Kingsley Kuku, Special Advisor to the President on the Niger Delta and Chairman of the Amnesty Program
Breakout 1: Collective Action for Peace and Security
11:00 am - 12:15 pm - Meeting Room 2
Niger Delta region has stayed relatively calm for four years. In that time, many politicians, law enforcement officers, donors, reporters, and analysts have shifted their sights north to focus on Islamist militancy. The Niger Delta is facing a challenging period ahead with the upcoming elections and the end of the Amnesty program. The objective of this session is to discuss how various interested parties can form new types of collaboration across public and private sector actors to develop a more informed and effective means of combating the threat of violence and instability in the Niger Delta region.
Moderator: Dr. J Peter Pham, Director, Africa Center, Atlantic Council
Panelist: Krista Hendry, Executive Director, Fund for Peace
Panelist: Peter W. Aubrey (Colonel, U.S. Army, Ret.)
Panelist: Dr. Peter Lewis is Associate Professor and Director of the African Studies Program at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
Session Partner: Atlantic Council
Breakout 2: Access to Electricity in the Niger Delta
11:00 am - 12:15 pm - Meeting Room 3
The Niger Delta has benefitted from a wide range of investments over the years to try to stimulate access to electricity, yet these ventures have unfortunately seen limited success. In this session, panelists will discuss and debate opportunities in power generation and distribution, specifically in the Niger Delta. The session will look at complementary models of distributive power and discuss opportunities for companies to look at off-grid and micro-grid options to reach unserved populations. Panelists will discuss collaboration, investment and the development of sound, sustainable power distribution in places where it can be the most effective stimulus for job growth.
Moderator: Andrew Fawthrop, Former Chairman and Managing Director, Chevron Nigeria Limited
Panelist: Boyd Montgomery, Former Vice President of Power at Unocal
Panelist: Tunde Gbajumo, Chief Executive Officer of US Symbion Power Nigeria (subsidiary of Symbion Power LLC)
Panelist: Mr Matthew Edevbie, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Income Electrix limited
Session Partner: Corporate Council on Africa
Luncheon Session
12:30 pm - 1:45 pm - Congressional Ballroom AB
Breakout 3: Exploring Collaboration for Development Research and Analysis
2:00 pm - 3:15 pm - Meeting Room 2
Nigeria’s Niger Delta region is particularly noted for the paucity of data about development priorities and the unparalleled challenges the landscape creates for the creation of partnerships and sharing knowledge opportunities. This discussion will focus on the potential of data to transform the development landscape in the Niger Delta and the particular challenges the region presents to better information sharing. NDPI and AGI will present their own experiences with these issues as well as feature new examples of projects that are bridging this divide and bringing the power of information to the Delta despite the obstacles.
Moderator: Mwangi Kimenyi, Director Africa Growth Initiative, Brookings Institution
Panelist: Ese Emerhi, Manager, Niger Delta Link (ND Link)
Panelist: Christopher O’Connor, Assistant Program Officer, West Africa, National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
Session Partners: The Brookings Institution, ND Link, Fund for Peace
Breakout 4: Partnering to Grow Business in the Niger Delta
2:00 pm - 3:15 pm - Meeting Room 3
The public and private sector share a common goal
in supporting projects and investments that foster sustainable and inclusive
growth that creates jobs, educational opportunities, and improved livelihoods.
Many companies are engaging in new types of alliances with non-traditional
stakeholders. These alliances often reach far beyond a company’s own immediate
operations and locality and have implications for the achievement of broader
development objectives. This panel will discuss how the private sector,
government agencies, and other bilateral donors can partner to optimize trade,
aid, and investment for common goals: lifting more people out of poverty, creating
new economic opportunities, and building a more prosperous and secure world
Moderator: Ambassador Robert C Perry (Ret), Vice President, Corporate Council on Africa
Panelist: Clay Neff, Chairman and MD, Chevron Nigeria Limited
Panelist: Mima Nedelcovych, President & CEO, Initiative for Global development (IGD)
Panelist: Uwa Igiehon, CEO, Greenpark Petrochemical
Session Partner: Corporate Council on Africa
Niger Delta Development Forum (NDDF) Working Groups
3:30 pm - 4:15 pm - Congressional Ballroom AB
Closing Networking Reception
