NGO Appoints New Country Director

Akowa Peter and Shalom Uzochukwu

Plan International has announced the appointment of Mr. Usie Charles Emmamuzou as the new Country Director for its Nigeria programme office.

A statement by made available to THISDAY by the Communications Advisor, Plan International, Yunus Abdulhamid, said after a rigorous recruitment process to fill the position following the exit of their pioneer country director who had been in the helm for six years, “Mr. Usie Emmamuzou came top to lead our growing and dynamic Nigeria Country Programme.”

The statement also noted that the new country director of Plan International Nigeria comes with enviable academic qualifications.
The statement also hinted that the new Country Director has more than two decades experience in the development and humanitarian sectors including working as the immediate past Country Director of Christian Aid UK, “where he led a team of over 390 experts delivering life-changing interventions for poor and marginalized people.”

The statement maintained that prior to working as immediate past Country Director, Christian Aid Uk, Emmamuzou worked as a national specialist for Action Aid International between January 2005 and June 2007 supporting the rollout of the REFLECT and STAR community empowerment approaches to tackle HIV in Nigeria.

He was also a team lead heading the child survival and youth empowerment for Care for Children Project- an Initiative of the Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) Jos, Catholic Archdiocese of Jos from 1999 to 2004.

Emmamuzou, who resumed in his new role on Monday, 18th October 2021 is also currently serving as a member of the Advisory Board of the UNOCHA Nigeria Humanitarian Funds. He is a member of the Institute of Strategic Management, Nigeria, and is currently the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the INGO Forum in Nigeria. Emmamuzou is preparing his Doctoral thesis in Environmental Resource Management with the Nasarawa State University but a Masters of Arts degree in Environment, International Development and Policy from the University of Sussex, United Kingdom made possible as a Chevening scholar in 2012, a Master’s of Science in Health Policy and Planning from the University of Benin (still in view-dissertation not submitted), Edo State Nigeria and a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Mining from University of Jos, Plateau State Nigeria.

Emmamuzou in the statement added: “I am excited to join the highly dynamic and inspired colleagues at Plan International to build on the solid foundation in the Nigeria country programme in advancing the rights of children and equality for girls. Nothing inspires me more than seeking and providing solutions to life’s greatest challenges. As an environmental health expert, life coach, behavioural influencer, and fitness trainer, I believe that people also by right are entitled to live a decent, honourable, fulfilling, and pleasurable life, here on earth before they die.”