Oby Ezekwesili joins Board of Directors of Nexford University

Nigeria’s former Minister of Education, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Nexford University.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Washington D.C.-based next-generation online university, disclosed that the appointment was due to her deep experience in creating sustainable value and driving strategy in the education sector.

The appointment of Ezekwesili, alongside other education experts and industry leaders, the institution added, would strengthen its board and management team, as well as aid its next growth step.

Appointed alongside Ezekwesili to join the Nexford's BoD is the Ex-McKinsey Senior Partner, Driek Desmet.

While Dr Jennifer Bangoura, Dr Nancy Rubin and Dr Cathy Plunkett join the institution's management team.

“Their track records and proven leadership in strategy, technology and education will help Nexford continue its impressive growth and achieve its business targets,” Nexford stated.

It also stated that the appointments were in line with its recent advances in partnering employers to upskill and reskill their workforces, via its rollout of the ‘Nexford for Talent’ programme, launched in 2021.

“They also follow Nexford’s successful $10.8m pre-Series A in June 2021 and major partnership with Sterling Bank, one of Nigeria’s largest commercial banks, in August 2021,” it added.

The Chief Executive Officer of Nexford University, Fadl Al Tarzi, said, “We are delighted to welcome Driek and Oby to the board.

"Their deep experience in creating long-term value, driving strategy and knowledge of the education sector will be invaluable to the next stage of Nexford’s growth journey.

“This expertise, coupled with their understanding of global markets, will support our expansion across the world.

"Ultimately, they will support our efforts to become the leading platform bridging gaps between employers and learners, as Nexford continues to provide access to skill-focused high quality yet affordable education.”

On her part, Ezekwesili said, “Having been on Nexford University’s advisory board, I am delighted to now join its Board of Directors to help advance the mission of this innovation-pioneering institution that is setting the pace in the delivery of world-class affordable education and producing high quality talent at scale.”

Ezekwesili, who recently joined Yale University as a Senior Fellow, is an economic policy expert and a globally renowned figure in human capital development.

Fondly called 'Oby', she has many feathers to her cap.

She was Vice President of the World Bank, co-founder and founding director of Transparency International, Founder/CEO of Human Capital Africa.

She worked with renowned Professor of Economics, Jeffrey Sachs, at the Center for International Development at Harvard, as the Director of the Harvard-Nigeria Economic Strategy Project.