Nigeria’s Uche Orji Appointed Member Of G-7 Task Force

The Managing Director of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Mr. Uche Orji has been appointed as a member of the G-7 Task Force to propose solutions that would harness private capital for public good.

A committed professional, Uche brings a wealth of global experience spanning nearly three decades in investment banking and financial services to his role as a member of the Task Force.

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He joined the NSIA as the pioneer MD & CEO on 2nd October 2012 from UBS, where he was Managing Director in the New York branch of its Equities Division.

Before then, Orji had spent six years at JP Morgan Securities, London, from 2001-2006, rising from the post of Vice President to Managing Director within the Equities Division.

Orji had also worked at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, London from 1998-2001. First joining as an Associate, in time, he rose to become an Executive Director before resigning in 2001.

Hitherto, he was the Financial Controller at Diamond Bank Plc., Lagos, Nigeria and previously worked at Arthur Andersen & Co.

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Under his leadership, the NSIA has become a trusted advisor to the Federal Government of Nigeria and has been instrumental to the actualization of a number of national economic transformation initiatives within the remit of its mandate.

Orji’s visionary leadership has inspired the significant strides recorded by NSIA despite its short existence and nurtured it into one of Africa’s most respected sovereign wealth funds attracting hundreds of million in foreign direct investments.

He is expected to work with other Advisory Panel Members such as Aaron Levine, Senior Financial Sector Specialist, International Finance Corporation; Adam Wolfensohn, Managing Partner, Encourage Capital; Aisha R. Pandor, Co-Founder, SweepSouth; Alderman Vincent Keaveny, Senior Alderman of the City of London; Alexandra Basirov, Global Head of Sustainable Finance for Financial Institutions Coverage, BNP Paribas; and Alicia Seiger, Managing Director, Stanford University Sustainable Finance Initiative.

Also named among the panel are Anne-Marie Chidzero, CIO, FSD Africa Investments; Audrey Choi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Morgan Stanley; Eliza Foo, Director, Impact Investing, Temasek; Elizabeth Littlefield, Head of Sustainability and Social Impact, Albright Stonebridge Group; and Eric Rice, Managing Director & Head of Impact Investing, BlackRock.

Others are Jeremy Gorelick, Strategic Advisor, Green Finance Institute; Louisa Mojela, Founder & CEO, WIPHOLD; Marcus Svedberg, Investment Strategist, AP4; Nadia Nikolova, Lead Portfolio Manager, Development Finance, Allianz Global Investors; Naoko Ishii, Director, Centre for Global Commons; Nathalie Gabala, Regional Director, West, Central, and North Africa, Mastercard Foundation; Nazmeera Moola, Deputy Managing Director and Head of South Africa Investments, Ninety One; Shami Nissan, Head of Responsible Investment, Actis; Stephanie Pfeifer, CEO, Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC); Stephen Brenninkmeijer, Chair, Supervisory Board of the European Climate Foundation & Founder, Willow Investments; Tim Macready, CIO, Brightlight Impact Advisory; Tracy Palandjian, CEO and Co-Founder, Social Finance US.

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The appointment is part of the UK government’s plan to come up with solutions for a sustainable and inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and promote impact-driven economies and societies in the long term.

The new initiative, under the secretariat of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG) working with its UK member, the Impact Investing Institute, will focus on fostering and facilitating discussions and recommendations around impact transparency, integrity, and trust.

The Taskforce will also investigate ways to create financial vehicles that can deliver investments for the benefit of people and the planet worldwide.

In doing so, it will actively look to advance impact investment in low- and middle-income countries hit hard by the pandemic.

Speaking on the development, Cliff Prior, Chief Executive of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG) said, “We are delighted to have been asked by the UK government to lead the secretariat of the Impact Taskforce. Robust reporting standards and innovative investment structures are absolutely central to the development of the impact Investing market that benefits people and the planet.

“The creation of the Taskforce will put an impact ecosystem firmly on the G7 agenda as countries around the world seek solutions for fair and just recoveries from the COVID-19 crisis.”

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Also speaking, Sarah Gordon CEO of the Impact Investing Institute, said, “Impact investment has the potential to contribute to solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face – whether that is a just recovery from the pandemic or addressing the climate crisis.

“To harness private capital at scale for public good, we need structures that meet investors’ requirements and deploy capital where it is needed, improving access to decent jobs, education and healthcare, and investing in a just transition to a net-zero world.”

The Group of Seven (G7) is an inter-governmental political forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Its members are the world’s largest IMF advanced economies and wealthiest liberal democracies.

As of 2018, the G7 nations account for close to 60 percent of global net wealth ($317 trillion)

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