The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), Nigeria’s primary wholesale development finance institution, has announced the appointments of Mrs. Ijeoma Ozulumba and Mr. Kyari Abba Bukar as Executive Director and Independent Non-Executive Director respectively on the board of the Bank.
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr. Shehu Yahaya, who made the announcement recently noted that the appointments of Ozulumba and Bukar would further strengthen the DBN’s vision to provide adequate and sustainable financing for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises across the country.
He maintained that the organization would continually uphold the highest standards of corporate governance, which have kept the Bank on a steady trajectory of progress.
Mr. Kyari Abba Bukar, newly appointed Independent Non-Executive Director, is the Managing Director/Co-Founder of Trans-Sahara Investment Corporation, a Private Equity firm based in Lagos, Nigeria.
He had an outstanding career in Engineering and Technology serving as the former Managing-Director/CEO at Central Securities Clearing System Plc, Lagos and ValuCard Nigeria (Unified Payments Ltd), Lagos, respectively. He has also served as an Executive Director in charge of Information Technology at FSB International Bank Plc.
Mr Kyari Abba Bukar, independent non-Executive Director, the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN).
Before joining FSB International Bank Plc, he served in various roles as Manufacturing Development Engineer, Marketing Program Manager, Senior IT Consultant, and as Manager in various sectors of the Hewlett Packard Corporation in the United States of America.
Kyari Bukar was the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) and currently serves on several other Boards.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria, and a Master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA.
The Development Bank of Nigeria Plc (DBN) is a wholesale development finance institution, established by the Federal Government of Nigeria in collaboration with multilateral development partners (The World Bank, AfDB, KfW, AFD, and EIB) to address the major financing challenges facing Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria.
“We are thrilled to have Ijeoma and Kyari join the Board and we look forward to them applying their knowledge, experience, and expertise in helping to deliver DBN’s core mandate as Nigeria’s primary wholesale development finance institution, providing sustainable financing to MSMEs across the nation,” Dr. Yahaya said.
On his part, the Managing Director of the Bank, Mr. Tony Okpanachi, added, “I am particularly excited by the depth and quality that both appointees are bringing to the Board and ultimately, the institution.
“Together, they bring a combined reservoir of knowledge and expertise in the financial services sector that will add immense value to the Bank and significantly contribute to the Bank’s development impact.”
Newly appointed Executive Director, Mrs. Ijeoma Ozulumba once served as Financial Controller at Continental Trust Bank Ltd (Now part of UBA Plc) and MBC International Bank Ltd (Now part of First Bank).
Mrs Ijeoma Ozulumba, new Executive Director, Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN).
She was Chief Financial Officer at FinBank Plc and Basel Risk Consultant and Finance Manager at Bank of Montreal and Scotia Bank, both in Toronto, Canada.
Mrs. Ozulumba also managed corporate budgeting and management reporting for Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, the largest independent E&P company in Nigeria.
