Benjamin Ovio has over 20 years’ experience in international development; working in economic development across a range of public and private sector organisations; been actively involved in implementing various Environmental, Waste Management and Circular Economy, Crude Oil Spill Response and Remediation of Contaminated Land & Water, HSSE, Social Performance & Sustainable Livelihood Programmes as a Consultant.

Only recently, I implemented a DFID funded solid waste management programme aimed at addressing systemic constraints manufacturers of recyclable products were facing:  off-takers operating below capacity because the demand for recyclable waste was not being met by aggregators and informal waste pickers.  Led a team that partnered with key public and private sector stakeholders, aggregator firms, off-takers/manufacturers and supporting market actors to address the systemic constraints of accelerating the volume of recyclable waste that is picked, aggregated and supplied to recycling manufacturers/off-takers.  This resulted in an in-depth supply chain analysis and value chain development of plastic waste in key states of North and Southern Nigeria.  Currently implementing a Green Environment Programme, an educational advocacy and community sensitisation of children and women in households on the importance of separation of plastic waste at source in order to prevent its journey to ocean & rivers.

For 13 years’, I was an Executive Director of an NGO; with experience of implementing community restoration, environmental resource management, waste management (community waste recovery, aggregation and recycling programmes, creating jobs for women and youths in the supply chain); project management of oil spill response and remediation of hydrocarbon contaminated soil and water (underground and surface).  

I demonstrate cognate experience in private sector development consulting; provision of business advisory support and business development services to MSMEs; embedding environment management practices in their operations; organizational development and institutional strengthening (public and private sectors) through efficient and effective mainstreaming of quality management systems; professional business development services for MSMEs; talent development and leadership skills, stakeholder and partnership development; technical vocational education and training programmes, results measurement and evaluation using DCED framework; sustainable community-driven development; advanced skills in project design and management; proposal writing, tenders and bid development, procurement and supply-chain development and management; local content development and capacity building; partnership brokerage, community-driven-development and local economic development.

• MA, International Development Management, Institute for Development & Policy Management, University of Manchester (Manchester UK), (UK/FCO Chevening Fellow), 2005
• B.Sc. Business Education ( Accounting) (University of Calabar, Nigeria) 1995
• NCE, Business Education (Institute of Education, University of Benin, Nigeria) 1989
• Diploma, Solid Waste Management, United Kingdom, 2018
• Certificate, Critical Raw Materials, and Waste Management, 2018
• The Global Environment Certificate, GEF/World Bank, 2018
• Blue Ocean Strategy, October 2018
• Finance, Time Value of Money, October 2018
• Certificate in Results Measurement for Private Sector Development Projects (DCED), 2016
• SFEDI Certified Enterprise Mentor, United Kingdom, 2016
• Fellow, Institute of Enterprise & Entrepreneurs, United Kingdom, 2015
• Associate, Chartered Quality Institute, United Kingdom, 2013