Ifeyinwa Maureen Okafor, businesswoman, good governance advocate and policymaker has been accepted into the Amujae Leadership Initiative cohort 2 for 2021. She joins other three Nigerians among 15 African women to be mentored and coached by presidents and world leaders so they can unleash their potential as emerging global leaders.
Amujae, pronounced Ó môô jâçç, means ‘we are going up’ in Kru, a Liberian language. The Amujae Initiative is a programme of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development (EJS Center) that identifies and challenges African women to be catalysts for political and social change across Africa.
EJS was founded in 2018 by former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Nobel Peace Prize Winner and the first elected woman head of state in Africa. On the Board of the EJS includes Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as well as other global change makers.
“I am so honored and privileged to be among the 2021 cohort, said Ms Okafor, I give God all the glory. Our greatest joy lies in finding our gifts and using them to enhance the lives of others.”
Ms Okafor, a Chartered Accountant and Governance Professional, spent the first 15 years of her career in banking and financial services. Expanding her private sector portfolio, in 2008, she joined International Packaging Industries of Nigeria Plc as Managing Director. In 2019, Ms. Okafor was invited to join the Imo State Government as a Member of the Financial Advisory Committee, where her prudent management enabled significant reform within the Treasury and streamlined government finances. Her team was responsible for introducing the Treasury Single Account (TSA) to the state.
She has served in several professional associations including as Treasurer and Member, Governing Council, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), and Training Coordinator and Member, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture Business Women Group (NAWORG).
She was a Commissioner on the Imo State Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Contracts from 2011-2019, tasked with reforming the contract award process and recovery of funds paid for contracts not executed. She has been instrumental in lifting Imo state’s position in the Ease of Doing Business rankings.
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