Profile: NESG chair, 7-Up MD, Obi Asika, others to speak at PREMIUM TIMES Employability Summit

The Chairperson of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Olaniyi Yusuf, and outgoing managing director of Seven-Up Bottling Company, Ziad Maalouf, are among the top speakers confirmed for the maiden edition of the Premium Times Employability Summit.

The summit, organised by PREMIUM TIMES Services Limited, will be held at the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, under the theme, “Converting Nigeria’s Demography into Assets.”

It will convene government officials, private sector leaders, civil society actors, academics and workforce experts to shape actionable solutions for Nigeria’s employment challenges.

Mr Yusuf is expected to set the tone for discussions on equipping young Nigerians with relevant skills for emerging job markets. A transformation expert with over 30 years’ experience, he is managing partner at Verraki Partners and a former country managing director at Accenture Nigeria.

At NESG, he has pushed for stronger private sector collaboration in tackling youth unemployment and driving economic inclusion.

Mr Maalouf will deliver an address titled “The Seven-Up Story”, highlighting how SBC has supported job creation and skill development amid economic turbulence. He led the company through the 2016 recession, steering it back to profitability through strategic pricing and cost-saving measures.

Beyond his corporate role, he is the founder of SME Scale Up, a platform that mentors local entrepreneurs and promotes scalable, sustainable businesses across Nigeria.

The first plenary, ‘Creating Employment and Positioning Young People for Emerging Trends’, will examine the impact of digital technology and AI on jobs. Speakers include Uyi Akpata, former PwC West Africa regional partner and chair of Nigeria Cricket; Michael Ikpoki, ex-MTN Nigeria CEO and now CEO of Africa Context Advisory Partners; and Muhammad Dahiru, senior special assistant on digital transformation at the Ministry of Communications. Mariam Lawani, founder of Greenhill Recycling, will moderate the panel.

A second plenary, ‘Creating Sustainable Opportunities for Young People’, will feature speakers from the tech, creative and policy sectors. Panellists include Esiri Agbeyi, People & Organisation leader at PwC Nigeria; Obi Asika, DG of the National Council for Arts and Culture; Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, AI for development expert and founder of Rise Networks; Dare Odusanya, co-founder of Eden Life; and Hauwa Mustapha, creative entrepreneur and founder of Yaran North-East Foundation. Kelechi Abiri, founding partner at CAILS and co-founder of GatePass, will moderate.

A dedicated panel on Linking Security, Education and Digital Infrastructure will also hold. It will feature Commodore A. Mohammed of the Nigerian Navy; Lara Yeku, director of digital transformation at the Ministry of Communications; Nneka Eneli, head of people operations at PiggyVest; and Lere Baale, a professor and director of Business School Netherlands in Nigeria. Policy strategist Samira Bello will moderate the session.

Speaker Profiles

Niyi Yusuf

Olaniyi Yusuf, Chairperson of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), is a veteran transformation strategist with more than three decades of experience advising leaders across Africa’s public and private sectors. He is currently managing partner at Verraki Partners, a consultancy firm focused on driving innovation and inclusive development on the continent.

Before joining Verraki, Mr Yusuf served as country managing director at Accenture Nigeria from 2010 to 2019. Earlier in his career, he worked at Arthur Andersen and began his professional journey at Joint Komputer Kompany. Mr Yusuf has contributed significantly to Nigeria’s tech and banking infrastructure, including the establishment of Interswitch, CRC Credit Bureau, and the rollout of the Cash-less Lagos initiative. He remains a key voice in national conversations on workforce development and digital inclusion.

Ziad Maalouf

Ziad Maalouf recently retired as managing director of Seven-Up Bottling Company (SBC), having led the company through one of Nigeria’s most difficult economic periods. Joining SBC in 2008, he rose to the top role and implemented aggressive cost-cutting and pricing strategies during the 2016 recession, restoring profitability by 2018.

Beyond his corporate leadership, Mr Maalouf is passionate about empowering small businesses. He founded SME Scale Up, a platform providing mentorship, business clinics and strategic advice to help local entrepreneurs overcome barriers to growth. His blend of private sector expertise and grassroots development focus has earned him respect as a leader committed to inclusive growth.

Esiri Agbeyi

Esiri Agbeyi is a partner and Africa Family Business Leader at PwC Nigeria. She leads teams that offer tax, advisory and governance solutions to corporations, family businesses and entrepreneurs. Her career spans several sectors, including oil and gas, consumer goods, technology and media.

Ms Agbeyi brings deep insight into human capital strategy and succession planning. She is a champion for women-led enterprises and sustainable business practices and frequently speaks on leveraging family-owned businesses for economic transformation. At the summit, she will speak on enabling sustainable employment opportunities through corporate innovation and human-centred policies.

Michael Ikpoki

Michael Ikpoki is the chief executive officer of Africa Context Advisory Partners and former CEO of MTN Nigeria. A lawyer by training, Ikpoki spent over 14 years at the MTN Group, rising to lead its largest market. He brings extensive experience in telecom leadership and regulation across Africa.

At Africa Context Advisory Partners, he now helps businesses navigate complex markets through strategy, stakeholder management and public policy advisory. His insights at the summit will reflect on how digital infrastructure and innovation can be harnessed to close Nigeria’s employability gap.

Uyi Akpata

Uyi Akpata is the immediate past country senior partner of PwC Nigeria. With over two decades of experience in business advisory and audit, he has served clients across Nigeria’s public and private sectors, with a focus on transformation and performance improvement.

Beyond his corporate career, Mr Akpata chairs Nigeria Cricket, where he has championed youth development and sports as tools for social change. He will draw on both perspectives to highlight how strategic leadership and investment in youth initiatives can foster a stronger labour market.

Obi Asika

Obi Asika is a pioneer of Nigeria’s creative economy. He founded Storm 360, the music label that launched acts like Naeto C and Sasha P. He is also co-founder of Social Media Week Lagos and currently serves as director-general of the National Council for Arts and Culture.

Mr Asika has served on various government and private sector committees focused on media, culture and technology. At the summit, he will speak on how the creative sector can generate employment, build identity, and empower young Nigerians.

Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji

Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji is founder of Rise Networks and Rise Interactive Studios Africa. A Harvard-trained public administrator, she is a leading voice in artificial intelligence for development and has been recognised by Forbes and Swiss Cognitive for her impact.

Through Rise Networks, she developed West Africa’s first career chatbot and recently released Makemation, a feature film showing how young people use AI to tackle social issues. Mrs Akerele-Ogunsiji is expected to speak on using technology and storytelling to build 21st-century skills.

Oludare Odusanya

Oludare Odusanya is general manager of the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, where he leads rural development and youth agribusiness initiatives. With a background in plant physiology and an MBA in agribusiness, he has helped drive food security and job creation through targeted programmes for smallholder farmers.

A passionate mentor and ESG advocate, Mr Odusanya engages in youth incubation and has represented Nigeria in various Pan-African development platforms.

Kelechi Abiri

Kelechi Abiri is the founder of Reposebay Human Resource Limited and co-founder of GatePass. Over the past 15 years, she has led efforts to build digital HR tools, develop young talent and help businesses scale sustainably.

She has supported over 2,000 companies and 5,000 job seekers through career advisory, workforce training and software development. Ms Abiri will speak on how businesses can align their hiring strategies with Sustainable Development Goal 8 on decent work and economic growth.

Lere Baale

Lere Baale, a professor, is CEO of Business School Netherlands in Nigeria and a leadership coach with decades of corporate and academic experience. He previously worked at Pfizer, where he oversaw operations in over 30 African countries.

Mr Baale is a certified Action Learning Coach and has trained thousands of leaders across healthcare, education and enterprise sectors. He continues to champion action learning as a tool for leadership development in Africa.

Lara Yeku

Lara Yeku is divisional director at Flour Mills of Nigeria and a leading voice in digital HR transformation. She also heads HR Gems Network and has authored My HR Story Book. With a background in design thinking and executive education from Yale, she promotes future-focused HR practices across Africa.

Her work has earned her several accolades, including the Talent Management Strategist of the Year award. At the summit, she will share insights on preparing today’s workforce for tomorrow’s challenges.

Commodore A. Mohammed

Commodore A. Mohammed of the Nigerian Navy brings deep security and defence experience to the summit. A communications and IT specialist, he has served as commanding officer of the NNS OKPABANA and headed the Department of Maritime Warfare at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College.

He holds advanced degrees in peace studies and is currently researching cybersecurity and intelligence. His contribution will explore how security and digital infrastructure are critical to enabling economic growth.

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Nneka Eneli

Nneka Eneli is head of people operations at PiggyVest and has over 20 years of experience across human resource consulting, leadership training and process outsourcing. She holds degrees in pharmacy, an MBA and a master’s in employment and labour studies.

Ms Eneli has worked across diverse industries including finance, real estate and non-profits, and is known for championing strategic workforce planning and operational efficiency.

Samira Bello

At 19, Samira Bello is one of Nigeria’s youngest business leaders. She is CEO of ÀÀDUN & Co. and a law student at the University of London. She developed a mental health app adopted by the NDLEA to support drug prevention among youth.

A graduate of the African Leadership Academy, she has led several student-led initiatives and will speak on linking mental health and youth empowerment to employability.

Oladeinde Olawoyin

Oladeinde is the Business, Energy & Economy Editor at PREMIUM TIMES and a multiple award-winning journalist. A fellow of the Natural Resource Governnace Institute (NRGI), he has received the West Africa Media Excellence Award, PwC Awards for Excellence in Financial Reporting, among other global and continental recognitions.

His reporting on SDGs earned him recognition from the Gates Foundation, and he continues to mentor journalists and lead high-impact editorial projects on finance, economy, energy, agriculture and the markets. He has written for and collaborated with journalists on numerous African and global media platforms, including London-based Finance Uncovered and the New York Times.