Soludo commends the rising profiles of Ndi Anambra across the globe

By Christian ABURIME

Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo has continued to applaud the rising profiles of Ndi Anambra excelling in their various professions abroad.

The latest are the appointments of the Anambra Nnewi-born, Mr. Dalu Ajene, who has been appointed by South African Rand Merchant Bank as the Chief Executive Officer, to lead the Investment Affairs of Rand Merchant Bank, Nigeria

Also is the appointment of Dr Akolisa Ufodike who was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Trade, Immigration and Multiculturalism in Alberta, Canada. Dr Ufodike was born in Maiduguri, Nigeria, to the family of Colonel Leonard Ufodike and Ebele Ufodike of Umudim and Otolo, Nnewi, Anambra State

In the case of Dalu Ajene, his appointment is being hailed as it is the major thrust of RMB, to attract  investments and project financing which is also key to Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s vision of building the Anambra liveable and prosperous smart mega-city.

In a special way, the Soludo-led administration therefore commends and celebrates this great feat by Mr. Dalu Ajene and Dr Akolisa Ufodike as great ambassadors of the State

Indeed, Anambra spirit is synonymous with excellence as once again demonstrated by the appointment of Mr Ajene by South Africans to lead RMB and Dr Ufodike as Deputy Minister in Alberta

It is hoped that by the appointment of Mr Ajene it will help facilitate greater foreign capital flows, as he also works toward delivering constructive solutions to leading businesses across critical sectors in Nigeria and Anambra in particular.

Before he was appointed as CEO of RMB, Dalu Ajene served as the head of Client Coverage at RMB in South Africa responsible for client origination teams in South Africa, Broader Africa, and the UK.

He was equally the Deputy CEO and Head of Investment Banking at RMBN, where he previously headed up the Corporate Finance business.

A holder of MBA in Finance and Strategy from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Dartmouth College, Dalu Ajene’s 21 years experience has seen him execute over US$ 15 billion worth of advisory, capital markets, and financing transactions in several continents including North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

On the other hand, Ufodike is expected to bring his experience as assistant professor at York University where he taught auditing at the undergraduate level, data analysis for performance audits and public sector finance at the graduate level.  His research focused on accountability, public-private partnerships (P3’s), Labour market integration,  and equity, diversity and inclusion in business professions

Dr Ufodike, a graduate of Haskayne’s PHD and Cornell’s MBA programs, is a Canadian FCPA, a US CPA, a UK FCCA and a Certified Fraud (ICD.D) of the Institute of Corporate Directors