Uzoma Akalabu has a First Degree in Accounting and MBA in finance and strategic planning. He is also a Chartered Management Consultant of the Chartered Institute of Management Consultants of the USA & Canada. He has worked in various managerial roles spanning 30 years across a range of industries with 23 years in the Oil and Gas industry in the upstream business. He has worked for blue chip contractors and operators over the years to create, execute and support company vision, strategy and growth at various levels. He was seconded to the start-up committee of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board after passage of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act in 2010. He is also the Chairman of his Old Boys Association.
Notably, in Equatorial Guinea, he was instrumental to the establishment of DeltaTek Energy in collaboration with ExxonMobil Equatorial Guinea on Local Content Policy that was well received by the President and the Ministers in 2012. That marked the beginning of local content in Equatorial Guinea.
He has a passion for import substitution, to creating a true local content for the local industry and to promote Capacity Development Initiatives (CDI) on new businesses and product development as alternatives that will support compliance with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act. He has also pioneered various training and skills acquisition programs for youths in the Niger Delta at the back of many huge projects in the last 19 years.
Uzoma is well experienced in business development, project management, strategic planning, conflict resolution and collaboration, using his diverse trainings and experience to facilitate strong partnerships and establishment of Grassroots Vendor Development Program in various Niger-Delta communities in numerous areas of operation since 2010; a model now adopted in Gabon, Kazakhstan and Angola. He is also a champion of the deepening the Nigerians can do it Global initiative flagged off in Knightsbridge, London in 2014. He is well travelled.
Beyond his hobbies of Football, Lawn Tennis, Travelling and Reading, he finds time and has an unquenchable passion to support widows within and outside his immediate community. This, he has done consistently in over two decades. He is a devout Christian and supports his local and urban church many ways than one. He is also known to settle school fees of the less privileged children, secondary school, and tertiary institution students unknown to him wherever he finds himself, having lived in various parts of the country that includes Zaria, Makurdi, Idah, Aba, Lagos and PortHarcourt. His Philanthropy and support for the less privileged cuts across ethnic and religious divide.
He is happily married to his lovely wife Ukamaka and they have five wonderful children.
