Olusegun Awolowo is Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC). He has just been re-appointed to a second term of four years by President Muhammadu Buhari. NEPC is Nigeria’s apex organization for the promotion of non-oil exports as a key driver for the diversification of nation’s economy. He leads a team of nearly 400 staff spread across 16 offices and the Headquarters in Abuja. Nigeria’s non-oil sector is a major contributor to the nation’s GDP and has even greater potentials, which is the reason Mr Awolowo is driving an ambitious Zero Oil Plan, as an economic blueprint for Nigeria. Hehas engaged extensively to promote the plan with the private sector, relevant government institutions and international development partners and businesses.
Zero Oil now forms part of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), a medium term plan developed by the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning. His goal is to increase export capacity by ramping up production, shifting the focus from export of raw produce to value added products in order to increase foreign exchange revenue, promote the value of Nigerian products and services abroad, create jobs and improve lives.
Prior to NEPC, Mr Awolowo was appointed by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as Special Assistant and seconded to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Abuja where he worked as Secretary for Social Development and Secretary of Transport from 2007 to 2011. While at FCTA, he played a significant role in evolving a Master Plan for an efficient urban transportation system in the FCT. He went back to his law practice after FCTA until November 2013 when President Goodluck Jonathan GCFR appointed him as Executive Director/CEO of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council.
He previously served in various positions in administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo including as Special Assistant on Traditional Institutions, Special Assistant on Legal Due Diligence with the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit (BMPIU) and Special Assistant Legal Matters where he covered a wide range of legal issues for Mr. President including drafting of Bills for passage to the National Assembly. Earlier in his career he worked with the prestigious law firm of Abayomi Sogbesan & Co. SAN and GOK Ajayi & Co. SAN.
Mr Awolowo is a scion of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, one of Nigeria's great founding fathers. He is married with three children.
