Magnus L. Kpakol

Last updated

Magnus Lekara Kpakol is a Nigerian American educator who is the CEO, Chairman and Chief Strategist at the Economic and Business Strategies. He is the principal leadership, management and business coach/trainer at the Economic and Business Strategies Ltd. He was the principal consultant at VIJONS International in Dallas Texas and a visiting professor of economics at the University of Dallas, where he taught economic development and international economics before being appointed in 2001 as Chief economic adviser [1] to the president of Nigeria by President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Contents

Magnus L. Kpakol Magnus L. Kpakol.jpg
Magnus L. Kpakol

Early life and education

Magnus Lekara Kpakol was born in B. Dere, Gokana in Rivers State of Nigeria. He attended Saint Pius X College, Bodo City, and Baptist High School, Port Harcourt before leaving for the United States as a teenager in the mid 1970s. He obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Wisconsin, (1978); did graduate studies in Economics and Industrial Relations at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and in 1982, obtained a Master of Science Degree in Labor Economics and Industrial Relations at the University of North Texas in Denton. In 1983 he received an M.A. in Political Economy from the University of Texas at Dallas from where in 1988 he also obtained a Ph.D in Political Economy, specializing in economic development and international economics.

Career

Kpakol was Chief Economic Adviser to the President of Nigeria from July 2001 to May 2003. While serving as Chief Economic Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo, he was also the Chief Executive Officer of the National Planning Commission, and a member of cabinet in the Federal Executive Council, working with the Minister of Finance, and Governor of the Central Bank on fiscal and monetary policies.

Beginning in June 2003, he served for eight years as a Senior Special Assistant to the President and was also the National Coordinator of the National Poverty Eradication Program (NAPEP). His administration at National Poverty Eradication Program developed a unique Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program (COPE) with a Poverty Reduction Accelerator Investment (PRAI) component. He also adopted the Village Economic Development Solutions (Village Solutions); and initiated the Promise Keeper Partnership (PKP) program for poor people in faith based organizations. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] In respect of some of these programs he implemented at NAPEP, stories were published in the media about his being indicted by the Nigerian Senate, with claims of misappropriation [7] of funds and scam, [8] [9] and also of his and the Senate's refutal of such stories [10] [11] 

Kpakol lives in Dallas, Texas, where he is the Chairman, CEO and Chief Strategist at the Economic and Business Strategies (EBS); [12]  he is also the host of Magnus Kpakol gvA, [13]  a global economic trends show on Africa carried around the world on Africa Independent Television. He is also the Founder and Chairman of the Economic Growth and Development Center (EGDC), the initiators of SHAFRI  [14]  and Village Solutions; Chairman of VIJONS, an International Business and Management Consulting firm based in Dallas, Texas.

Before working with the government of Nigeria as an advisor, he was a senior economist in the Planning & Research department of JCPenney Company based in Plano Texas. He was also a visiting professor of economics at the University of Dallas and previous to that an adjunct professor of economics at the same university; he also taught in the Graduate School of Business at the University of Dallas. He was also an adjunct professor at the University of North Texas in Denton, and North Lake College in Irving, Texas. He was the Director and Principal Consultant at VIJONS, based in Dallas Texas.

He served as a consultant for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), He has spoken at conferences around the world and appeared on various articles, radio and TV programs [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] Redoubling Efforts to BoostExports. [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] He founded MAGONI Productions, the creators of Magoni music with roots in Ogoni rhythm.

Kpakol was a member of the Board of Trustees of John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. He is a member of the Dallas Economists’ Club, where he was chairman of the Education Committee. He is also a member of the American Economic Association, the National Association of Business Economics (NABE) and its International Roundtable.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Sachs</span> American economist

Jeffrey David Sachs is an American economist, academic, public policy analyst, and former director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, where he holds the title of University Professor. He is known for his work on sustainable development, economic development, and the fight to end poverty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogoni people</span> Ethnic group

The Ogonis are a people in the Rivers South East senatorial district of Rivers State, in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria. They number just over 2 million and live in a 1,050-square-kilometre (404-square-mile) homeland which they also refer to as Ogoniland. They share common oil-related environmental problems with the Ijaw people of the Niger Delta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rivers State University</span> Public university in Nigeria

Rivers State University, formerly Rivers State University of Science and Technology, is a government-owned university located in the Diobu area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

Charles Chukwuma Soludo is a Nigerian politician, banker, and economics professor who has served as governor of Anambra State since March 2022. He is a former governor and chairman of the board of directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria. He was appointed as the bank's governor on 29 May 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Utomi</span> Nigerian professor and politician

Patrick Okedinachi Utomi is a Nigerian professor of political economy and management expert. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria and a former presidential candidate. He is the founder of Centre for Value in Leadership (CVL) and the African Democratic Congress. He is a professor at Lagos Business School, and has served in senior positions in government, as an adviser to the president of Nigeria, the private sector, as Chief Operating Officer of Volkswagen Nigeria.

Abraham Babalola Borishade was a Nigerian politician. He was a four time Federal Minister in Nigeria, between 1999-2011. He was known as an electrical engineer, teacher and political strategist.

Dr. Aliyu AbdullahiOON is a Nigerian Civil servant who joined the Civil Service in August 1988 and became a Permanent Secretary in January 2001. In 2003, he was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. In July 2007, Abdullahi Aliyu said that he had received a presidential mandate to explore the use of nuclear energy in Nigeria for the generation of electricity.

Emmanuel Nnadozie is an educator, economist, professor of economics, entrepreneur and author. His scholarly works are in the area of economics and development in Africa and the world. This includes African Economic Development. He has also contributed to research journals such as the "Journal of African Finance and Economic Development", Journal of College Student Development. He has been a research fellow at the University of Oxford and a visiting professor at the University of Carolina - Charlotte.

Nigeria had one of the world's highest economic growth rates, averaging 7.4% according to the Nigeria economic report that was released in July 2019 by the World Bank. Following the oil price collapse in 2014–2016, combined with negative production shocks, the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate dropped to 2.7% in 2015. In 2016 during its first recession in 25 years, the economy contracted by 1.6%. Nationally, 43 percent of Nigerians live below the poverty line, while another 25 percent are vulnerable. For a country with massive wealth and a huge population to support commerce, a well-developed economy, and plenty of natural resources such as oil, the level of poverty remains unacceptable. However, poverty may have been overestimated due to the lack of information on the extremely huge informal sector of the economy, estimated at around 60% more, of the current GDP figures. As of 2018, the population growth rate is higher than the economic growth rate, leading to a slow rise in poverty. According to a 2018 report by the World Bank, almost half the population is living below the international poverty line, and unemployment peaked at 23.1%.

National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) is a 2001 program by the Nigerian government addressing poverty in Nigeria and related issues. It was designed to replace the Poverty Alleviation Program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Covenant University</span> Christian university in Ota, Nigeria

Covenant University(CU) is a private Christian university in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. It is affiliated with Living Faith Church Worldwide and is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Association of African Universities, and National Universities Commission. In 2019, Covenant University became the first Nigerian university to be ranked in the top 401-500 category of world universities by Times Higher Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Powell</span> American economist (born 1978)

Benjamin W. "Ben" Powell is the director of the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University and professor of economics at Texas Tech University's Rawls College of Business. He is also a junior fellow at the Independent Institute and the South American editor of the Review of Austrian Economics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akinwumi Adesina</span> African agriculture expert

Akinwumi "Akin" Adesina is a Nigerian economist, who is currently serving as the President of the African Development Bank. He previously served as Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Until his appointment as Minister in 2010, he was Vice President of Policy and Partnerships for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). He was elected as the President of the African Development Bank in 2015 and re-elected for a second term in 2020. He is the first Nigerian to hold the post.

Umar Buba Bindir is a Nigerian agricultural engineer and currently, Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Adamawa State of Nigeria

Innocent Bariate Barikor is a Nigerian academic and politician of the All Progressives Congress. He represented the constituency of Gokana as a Member of the Rivers State House of Assembly from 2011 to 2015.

In 1999, the Ministry of Women's Affairs and Poverty Alleviation was established.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief Temitope Ajayi</span> Nigerian business consultant

Amina Temitope Ajayi is a US-based Nigerian business consultant who is an accountant by training, a social entrepreneur and an ardent community activist. Temitope Ajayi was the former President of All Nigerian American Congress (ANAC). Her efforts and continued advocacy on the Nigerian Diaspora issues have earned her in the media the moniker "Mama Diaspora". Chief Ajayi is well known for promoting women empowerment and poverty eradication in Africa through Agri-business. Through the Arkansas-Nigeria investment forum and other bilateral economic forums in the US, Chief Ajayi's tenacity and genuineness have been very instrumental in convincing and attracting a lot of key investors in the agri-business from the US to Nigeria. She is the Founder/CEO of the Nigerian American Agricultural Empowerment Program (NAAEP), which engages in the Agricultural empowerment of farmers, women and young Adults in Nigeria in order to increase foods sufficiency and sustainable employment for women and youths in the agricultural sector. NAAEP has been a grassroots organization that trains and empowers farmers in mechanized farming system, while facilitating business loans, accessibility to farm implements, and the harvesting and marketing of their end product both locally and internationally. In 2010, Chief Ajayi called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to reduce the interest rates on loans to farmers in order to boost the agricultural sector and to alleviate poverty in the country. Chief Temitope Ajayi is an Ambassador of Goodwill for the State of Arkansas and Maryland, USA. Chief Ms. Ajayi was a distinguished delegate at the past 2014 Nigeria's National Conference where she represented the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) in Nigeria and served in the Confab's Committee on Agriculture. Chief Temitope Ajayi in her address at the Annual Meeting of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund, informed delegates that “Women are the engine of the private sector, women run the economy of any nation - because they are more into commerce than their male counterpart, the power of any currency is in their ability to meet the demand and supply”.

Fred Barivure Kpakol is an accountant and politician. He served as Rivers State Finance Commissioner between 2015 and 2019.He also served as the Commissioner for Agriculture between 2019 and 2022. He is a native of B-Dere in Gokana. He studied accounting and finance at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology and graduated with a B.Sc. in Accounting and Finance. He went further to do his master's degree in Banking and Finance at Federal University of Technology Owerri and he later had his Ph.D. degree in Banking,Finance and Taxation from Rivers State University of Science and Technology. Kpakol is affiliated with the People's Democratic Party and has served as Chairman of Gokana local government area. He is also a former Secretary of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria Rivers State Branch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akapo Emmanuel</span> Musical artist

Emmanuel Akapo is a Nigerian creative entrepreneur, record producer, writer and music educator. He is the founder of Tenstrings Music Institute, a music academy with multiple centers in Nigeria. He has worked with notable Nigerian musicians such as Sound Sultan, Eva Alordiah, Bez, and Brymo. He is also the founder of Black Fragrance School of Design, a Lagos-based design academy offering vocational training in design fields such as fashion design, interior decor, animation, photography, website and graphics design.

Dr. Nkem Okeke is a Nigerian Politician who was the Deputy Governor of Anambra State from 17 March 2014 to 17 March 2022 He first served as Anambra State Commissioner for Economic Planning, and again as Anambra State Commissioner for Works and Transport in the administration of Governor Peter Obi and later went back to immerse himself in academia as lecturer and head of department of economics at Nnamdi Azikiwe University.

References

  1. ↑ "University of Dallas professor named Nigerian adviser". Dallas Business journal. Jul 26, 2001. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  2. ↑ "Keke Napep embarks on fact finding mission". The Nation. 2008-11-13. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Operators of keke NAPEP assured of federal support". Vanguard News. Vanguard News. May 5, 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "A Pass Mark For NAPEP | Nigeria News World Magazine". Nigeriannewsworld.com. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  5. ↑ "NDDC boss suggests ways to poverty eradication". Vanguard. Vanguard News. April 11, 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Delta NAPEP launches tricycles". Vanguard. Vanguard News. January 10, 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "Senate orders Kpakol's arrest over N2.4bn Keke NAPEP contract - Vanguard News". Vanguardngr.com. 2010-02-23. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  8. ↑ "Reps summon ex-presidential aide over N20bn NAPEP funds". John Ameh. PUNCH. February 21, 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "FG's poverty eradication programme, a failure – Senator — The Punch". Punchng.com. 2012-09-28. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  10. ↑ "N7.2Bn NAPEP Scam: Senate Denies Indicting Kpakol". thenigerianvoice.com. 2011-03-28. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  11. ↑ "No fraud in the supply of Keke NAPEP, Kpakol". Akoma Chinweoke. Vanguard News. March 13, 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  12. ↑ "EBS Global". EBS Global. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  13. ↑ "Magnus Kpakol-gvA". Magnus Kpakol-gvA. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  14. ↑ "Study Hall Africa • ...learning is fun". Studyhallafrica.com. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  15. ↑ "In Care of Nigeria's Poor". No. Lessons from Africa's Giant on Using Cash Incentives to Change Behavior, Fight Poverty and Build Wealth. Jeff Meyer. New America Foundation. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  16. ↑ "Welfare deal for Nigeria's poor". No. The Nigerian government is launching a welfare scheme to help poor families. BBC News. 11 December 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  17. ↑ "What manner of 'human element'?". Mohammed Adamu. Vanguard News. August 21, 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  18. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-18. Retrieved 2013-10-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ↑ "Chase Bank says Mexico memo 'not policy.'(consultant Riordan Roett's recommendation of 'elimination' of Zapatista unrest)". The Free Library. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  20. ↑ "Poverty is always the result of the inability of people to overcome elements of the environment...Dr. Magnus Kpakol - Vanguard News". Vanguardngr.com. 2009-10-17. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  21. ↑ "Poverty Level Still High, Says NEPAD Boss". Yemi Akinsuyi. ThisDay Live. 14 Dec 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  22. ↑ "80m Nigerians are poor – Kpakol". VICTORIA OJEME. Vanguard News. May 18, 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  23. ↑ "Nigeria yet to eradicate poverty – Kpakol". Victoria Ojeme. Vanguard News. October 17, 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  24. ↑ "Poverty is always the result of the inability of people to overcome elements of the environment…Dr. Magnus Kpakol". Vivien Wehweh. Vanguard News. October 17, 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  25. ↑ "Just Seeing The Light Of Poverty". Vanguard. Vanguard News. May 20, 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.