ABOUT AFRICAN INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL FOUNDATION
Executive Team
OLIVER MUSILA LITONDOPRESIDENT
OLIVER MUSILA LITONDO
Oliver Musila Litondo is the President of Lakewood Films, an international company with its headquarters in Nairobi Kenya. The company also has offices in Hollywood, CA, USA. Lakewood Films’ mission is to tell compelling stories through film, for the global audience. Mr. Litondo is currently directing “Ndovu-The Ivory Syndicate”, a mega feature film on the elephant’s looming threat of extinction.
Mr. Litondo has had an illustrious career in the movie industry. He has also had an incredible career in Broadcast and Print Journalism, giving him a broad spectrum of the movie and communications.
Mr. Litondo has acted in award-winning movies alongside Oscar winners, including Sidney Poitier, James Earl Jones, Michael Caine, Brian Dennehy, Isabella Rossallini, Tanya Roberts and James Lithgo, among others. Additionally, he has produced, directed and has written movie scripts that have been produced with great success as well as successful scripts for stage plays.
The award-winning movies in which Mr. Litondo has acted include: The First Grader, opposite Lady Naomi Harris in 2010, in which he won the following awards and nominations: “Best Actor” Award by AARP Movie Awards 2012 in Hollywood; “Outstanding Actor” nomination by NAACP Image Awards, 2012 in Hollywood; “Outstanding Actor” Award by the Black Reel Awards 2012; “Best Actor” Award by the Black Film Critics Circle; “10 Black Breakouts of 2011” Citation for performers that stood out in 2011; “Best Actor” Award by Milan International Film Festival in Milan; “Best Actor” Award by Kenya International Film Festival in Nairobi.
Mr. Litondo also acted in made for TV hit movie series, including: The Search for the Nile, an Emmy award winning BBC production, 1971; Orzowei, il figlio della Savana, an Italian hit TV mini-series, 1977; The Rogue Priest, a Kenyan award winning TV Movie 2010; and Changes, TV series, 2010.
MALAME N. MANGZHADIRECTOR GEN./CO-FOUNDER
MALAME NGAMARIJU MANGZHA
(Director General/Co-Founder)
Malame Ngamariju Mangzha is a visionary and energetic leader committed to promoting cultural understanding, social change and community empowerment. With over 15 years of experience in leadership and international development, she has dedicated her career to empowering youth and women, advocating for African culture and heritage, and reshaping narratives about Africa through impact documentaries and storytelling.
As a social entrepreneur, Malame has founded several initiatives to improve the lives of people in their community and beyond, has empowered local communities, and helped address some of the world's most pressing social and environmental issues.
Malame Mangzha obtained a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics from the prestigious University of Maiduguri in Nigeria. Post Graduate Diploma in Public Administration, an IATA Certification in Travel and Tourism, Montreal, Canada, with certification courses in leadership and development.
Malame Mangzha’s zeal to ensure a better society led her to join an organization aimed at empowering youth and women alike called Integrated Women and Youth Empowerment Center (IWAYEC), where women and youth are nurtured in a conducive atmosphere and given the proper assistance to excel.
Malame Mangzha is the co-founder of the African International Documentary Festival Foundation. This platform promotes young talented underrepresented, and under-discovered documentary producers, Filmmakers, and storytellers in the African continent/diaspora to tell the African stories in their own words while promoting the continent’s rich cultural heritage and history. AFIDFF has its International Liaison office in the United States of America (USA) and regional offices across Africa, with Headquarters in Nigeria. She is a member of the Movement for Community-Led Development (MCLD). A global organization committed to grassroots development where women and youth can discover their voices, asserts their rights, and mobilize action to achieve their aspirations. An advisory board member of the Other Half Empowerment Initiative, a development and leadership NGO focusing on the interplay of culture and gender.
Having worked with several organizations. She has initiated and implemented projects, including the UNESCO World Heritage Volunteer Initiative (WHV) 2021-date in restoring and rebuilding Sukur Cultural Landscape, Adamawa State, Nigeria(Africa’s first Cultural Landscape and Nigeria’s first World Heritage Site). She has also initiated the production of documentaries, including Insurgency and the Girl Child, which focuses on the plight of the girlchild in northeast Nigeria, which has suffered conflict for over ten years. The documentary has gained local and international recognition and aired on Africa's largest Television Network. (NTA). She has also supported the fight to End Polio Now by raising awareness of the need for routine immunization and vaccination, partnering with Rotary International, and empowering over a thousand youth and women in various entrepreneurship programs in Nigeria and across Africa.
She is the Managing Partner at Estmanuel International Cargo and Travels Limited and a board member of Flashnet Ltd, a company involved in Information technology and digital media. Co-Founder Citadel Jets LTD, is a Nigerian online private jet booking and charter company that provides access to aircraft for individuals and corporate organizations. She has numerous certificates and awards from organizations and professional bodies, which includes a merit award from the Kwame Nkrumah Vision Alive Movement in recognition of her advocacy for a robust African Culture and Values and as a Pan-Africanist of great repute. She has also delivered papers at conferences and seminars, including the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Global Conference on Linking Tourism, Culture and the Creative Industries: Pathways to Recovery and Inclusive Development, Lagos, Nigeria, November 2022.
BENJAMIN UBIRIREGIONAL DIRECTOR, WEST AFRICA
BENJAMIN UBIRI
REGIONAL DIRECTOR, WEST AFRICA
BENJAMIN UBIRI (The penpusher) is also known as Ben200 (Half-Human half amazing).
Benjamin Ubiri is a Media Consultant, broadcaster, poet, storyteller, an award, winning writer, and critic. For more than twenty-two years, he has written stories, mentored Journalists, and taught storytelling.
Winner of the 2009 Nigerian literary journalist of the year award by Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, and publisher of the Book of Chibok. His literary reviews, poem, and short stories have been widely published, both online and in hard journals. He has also edited books by other authors and presented papers at writers’ workshops around Nigeria.
His experience spans from being a newspaper journalist to being a radio presenter, book editor, TV Anchor, and public speaker. He is also a master of ceremonies of international repute.
His philosophy in life is: nothing is too small to be an obstacle, nothing too large to be an advantage.
CARISTO CHITAMFYAREGIONAL DIRECTOR, SOUTHERN AFRICA
Caristo Chitamfya
Chevening Scholar 1999/2000 Cohort.
- MA Communications, Education and Technology -University of Manchester, England.
- Veteran Broadcaster (with over 20 years of Television experience),
- Tourism and Cultural Expert, Public Relations Practitioner, Public Speaker & Public Figure.
- Organisation: Zambia Railways Limited (Manager Public Relations)
FOMBANG BANNS NREGIONAL DIRECTOR, CENTRAL AFRICA
Fombang Banns Nyuydin
Fombang Banns Nyuydin is a Producer and a Creative Director with years of experience on numerous projects in the audiovisual domain. With a vast knowledge in audiovisual production, he also possesses excellent interpersonal and communication skills. He is the Founder and CEO of Olympian House International (OHI), a Cameroonian based production Company.
He graduated from the University of Yaoundé1 (Cameroon) in 2013 where he studied Performing arts and Cinematography and upon graduation, he has had the experience of working with some of Cameroon’s finest in the industry and later founded his company OHI in 2015.
Some of his works throughout the years include his role as Producer/Director on The BigUp Show - a 26mins Weekly TV talk show on the Cameroon national television CRTV airing since September 2019 to present, Director of a Documentary with Olam Cameroon on the Cocoa chain in Cameroon (nursery to exportation) in October 2020, Producer/Director of a 52mins cultural Magazine titled - The Artist which aired from September - November 2018 on the national TV, Producer/Director for the MTV Staying Alive Foundation Documentary with AFCIG Cameroon titled “Play Safe Campaign” in May 2016 amongst others.
Given the bilingual character of his country Cameroon, he speaks both the English and French language and also serves as Regional Director for Central Africa for the African International Documentary Festival Foundation (AFIDFF).
FRANCIS ETUKCONSULTANT (CULTURAL HERITAGE)
FRANCIS ETUK
CONSULTANT (CULTURAL HERITAGE)
He studied Journalism at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Lagos from where he obtained an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Journalism and Integrated Certificates in Public Relations and Advertising. He was appointed Correspondent for Africa Business Travel Magazine, a Lagos-based Tourism Management publication in North East where he served from 2004-2010.
He later went to the prestigious University of Abuja where he studied History and Diplomatic Studies and graduated with a B.A (Hons. History).
While serving as Correspondent for Business Travel Magazine in the North East, he played a frontal role in the creation of Culgreene Community Care Initiative (CCCI) to contribute to strengthening cultural resilience and build the tourism economy of communities in North-East Nigeria.
He is the Producer of ‘Allure of the Mandara Mountains’ a cross border documentary promoting eco-tourism to Sukur World Heritage Site, he is the Editor of ‘Nigeria CultureMarks Magazine’ and Heritage Consultant for the establishment of the Artisan Productions Support Scheme in Sukur working under the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) as contained in UNESCO accredited Sukur Conservation Management Plan for 2017-2021. He is also the substantive Consultant to Adamawa State Agency for Museums and Monuments (ASAMM) on Research and Documentation of Cultural and Natural Sites of heritage value in Adamawa State.
Francis is an embodiment of Journalism, Cultural Resources Management, History, and Arts rolled into one.
AZEEZ IDOWU TAWOJUDIRECTOR, GRANTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
AZEEZ IDOWU TAWOJU
DIRECTOR, GRANTS, AND OPPORTUNITIES
Idowu is an experienced professional with demonstrated track records, successfully structuring and managing projects in Energy, Foreign Trade, Real estate, Merchandise, and transportation sectors. A quantitative thinker with strong technical qualifications. Adroit communicator, adept at face-to-face meetings with clients, investors, and debt Issuers. Practiced at writing, presenting, and discussing credit reports with rating committees. Background working within team environments to gather key financial data, examine and analyze credit documentations. Skilled, ability to multi-task; highly organized and able to prioritize deadlines in work-intensive environments.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Ilorin and Obafemi Awolowo University respectively. He has a Diploma in Credit Management from Trans-Atlantic College London and an Associate Member of Chartered Institute of Marketing of Nigeria. He has rich experience in Foreign Trade, Maritime, and Banking with several management and strategic breakthroughs to his credit. He worked with International surveillance and Control, Bureau Veritas, Standard Trust Bank, Prudent Bank. He has successfully managed branches of Oceanic Bank and Bank PHB from zero balance sheets to very profitable and enviable branches of the respective banks. He equally set up and headed the Corporate and commercial banking group, Apapa and Lagos Mainland Region of Skye Bank Plc. He was Chief Financial Officer Africa to WPM Group, Sofia Bulgaria. He is the Managing consultant of Bullring Concepts Limited (A business intelligence &financial management company) and handled the finance and strategy of the consortium that developed and implemented the twin FGN security outfits; Road Crime Control System(RCCS) and Nigeria Internal Security and Public Safety Alert System(NISPSAS) projects of Federal Ministry of Transportation and Interior respectively.
An erudite relationship professional and top manager of resources. He has attended many local & offshore courses in Marketing, Corporate/Credit, and Relationship Management.
KALU ONUKAACCOUNTANT
KALU ONUKA
ACCOUNTANT/AUDITOR
Holds Higher National Diploma in Accountancy and Master in Business Administration (Finance and Investment) from Ahmadu Hello University, Zaria. He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria(ICAN). He is a seasoned Accountant and Auditor for over a decade.
JAMES EJIMNAKACONTENT/COMMUNICATION STRATEGIST
JAMES EJIMNAKA
CONTENT/COMMUNICATION STRATEGIST
A dynamic and energetic Communications strategist, with solution driven experience. Over the years he has demonstrated ability to build value that differentiates. He is knowledgeable in the field of strategic Corporate communications specializing in Content development, Corporate positioning and strategy, Public relations, and Communication training.
MSHELLIA SAMUEL SURHYELLEGAL SERVICES (Barr.)
BARR. MSHELLIA SAMUEL SURHYEL
LEGAL SERVICES
A legal practitioner with over 20 years of experience with a special interest in public litigation, corporate practice, and lease agreements.
Dr. Adegbola OjoBoard Member and Head of Innovation, Enterprise & Knowledge Exchange
Adegbola Ojo (BSc., MSc., PhD, FHEA)
Adegbola Ojo is an Associate Professor in Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. He is part of the UK-Nigeria Diaspora Covid-19 Response Consortium. He is a Visiting Academic at London Metropolitan University. Adegbola is also a member of the International Advisory Board (IAB) and College of Collaborating Experts, Dominican University, Nigeria among others. He has held various positions in different universities across the UK.
Adegbola is credited with developing the first set of small area segmentation systems that address the policy-specific needs of developing countries. The impact of his research has triggered special recognition from a wide range of stakeholders. At various times, he has been Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator, Named Researcher, and Consultant on major research programmes and projects which in total have attracted funding in excess of £5 million. He has also held a prestigious British Academy Skills Innovator Award.
His research sits at the intersection of humanitarian decision sciences, social justice, and societal prosperity. Key aspects of his research and practice have focused on the ways societies across the world meet human needs for safety, environmental security, justice, socio-economic, governance, and related policy needs. His work embraces innovative multi-method approaches which subsume deep integration of interdisciplinary theory and advanced mixed-methods research practices. His work seeks to address how states and societies respond to global challenges of social, demographic, and economic change, and as poverty, human mobility, and globalization. He is interested in understanding and representing the socio-economic and spatial dynamics and intricacies of population behavior within a framework of Interdisciplinary Studies, Quantitative Social Science, Humanitarian Sciences, and Computer Modelling. Research activities are grouped around the development and application of small area classifications, geographic information systems, and geographic information science for informing public policy. A series of research themes and application areas include Census and Geographic data Science, Geodemographics, Planning Support Systems for Crime Science and Intelligent Policing, Urban Geography, Space-time Dynamics of Human Population Mobility, Geographies of Health, Security and Development, Big Data Analytics, and African Development Studies. He actively designs and utilizes new and emerging forms of data for solving humanitarian and security and social justice problems.
His recent books include Social Revolutions and Governance Aspirations of African Millennials: Emerging from the Political Shadows of Strongmen (Springer); GIS and Machine Learning for Small Area Classifications in Developing Countries (Taylor and Francis); and Urbanisation and Crime in Nigeria (Palgrave Macmillan).
Bitwul Dashe GodstimeIntegrated Communications Strategist & Creative Catalyst
Bitwul Dashe Godstime
Integrated Communications Strategist & Creative Catalyst
As a media and communication specialist, I tell stories for a living. I believe that the narrative on Africa as a continent has been on sided. These stories, repeated over and over again, have created a narrow understanding of Africa, and this can only be remedied when Africans are empowered to tell their stories. When we say our new stories out loud and articulate our dreams, we begin to recreate a more equitable world.
Board of Trustees
OLIVER MUSILA LITONDOPRESIDENT
OLIVER MUSILA LITONDO
Oliver Musila Litondo is the President of Lakewood Films, an international company with its headquarters in Nairobi Kenya. The company also has offices in Hollywood, CA, USA. Lakewood Films’ mission is to tell compelling stories through film, for the global audience. Mr. Litondo is currently directing “Ndovu-The Ivory Syndicate”, a mega feature film on the elephant’s looming threat of extinction.
Mr. Litondo has had an illustrious career in the movie industry. He has also had an incredible career in Broadcast and Print Journalism, giving him a broad spectrum of the movie and communications.
Mr. Litondo has acted in award-winning movies alongside Oscar winners, including Sidney Poitier, James Earl Jones, Michael Caine, Brian Dennehy, Isabella Rossallini, Tanya Roberts and James Lithgo, among others. Additionally, he has produced, directed and has written movie scripts that have been produced with great success as well as successful scripts for stage plays.
The award-winning movies in which Mr. Litondo has acted include: The First Grader, opposite Lady Naomi Harris in 2010, in which he won the following awards and nominations: “Best Actor” Award by AARP Movie Awards 2012 in Hollywood; “Outstanding Actor” nomination by NAACP Image Awards, 2012 in Hollywood; “Outstanding Actor” Award by the Black Reel Awards 2012; “Best Actor” Award by the Black Film Critics Circle; “10 Black Breakouts of 2011” Citation for performers that stood out in 2011; “Best Actor” Award by Milan International Film Festival in Milan; “Best Actor” Award by Kenya International Film Festival in Nairobi.
Mr. Litondo also acted in made for TV hit movie series, including: The Search for the Nile, an Emmy award winning BBC production, 1971; Orzowei, il figlio della Savana, an Italian hit TV mini-series, 1977; The Rogue Priest, a Kenyan award winning TV Movie 2010; and Changes, TV series, 2010.
MALAME N. MANGZHADIRECTOR GEN./CO-FOUNDER
MALAME NGAMARIJU MANGZHA
(Director General/Co-Founder)
A visionary energetic leader with a life philosophy of excellence, hard work, responsiveness, and dedication, her passion is to create value through her service to humanity. As a graduate of the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria where she obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics with over 15 years of experience in the sector.
Her interest in social entrepreneurship, hospitality, and human capital development made her obtain a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Administration (from Nasarawa State University, Keffi) and an IATA Certification in Travel and Tourism, Montreal, Canada to champion the course for greater society through new ideas and strategies.
Malame Mangzha’s zeal to ensure a better society led her to join an organization aimed at empowering youth and women alike called Integrated Women and Youth Empowerment Center (IWAYEC), where women and youth are nurtured in a conducive atmosphere and given the right assistance to excel. As a social entrepreneur whose interest is to address social and environmental problems, Storyteller and her love for photography, African culture, and heritage. She has been able to create the platform for changing the negative narratives about Africa where humanity and civilization began.
Malame has over 16 years of experience in aviation and human capital development, she is the founder of the African International Documentary Festival Foundation a platform that promotes young talented underrepresented, and under-discovered documentarians, Filmmakers, and storytellers in the African continent/diaspora to tell the African stories in their own words while promoting the continents rich cultural heritage. AFIDFF has its International Liaison office in the United States of America(USA) regional offices across Africa and Headquarters in Nigeria. She is presently a member of the movement for the community led-development (MCLD). A global organization committed to grassroots development where women and youth can discover their voices, asserts their rights, and mobilize action to achieve their aspirations. An advisory board member of the Other Half Empowerment Initiative (Other Half), a development and leadership NGO that focuses on the interplay of culture and gender on men and women status.
Having worked with several organizations. She has initiated and implemented projects which amongst them include the production of a documentary in northeast Nigeria with the theme: “Insurgency and the Girl Child “which has gained both local and international recognition and was aired on the largest Television Network in Africa. She has also supported the fight to End Polio Now by raising awareness on the need for routine immunization and vaccination partnering with Rotary International.
She is the Managing Partner at Estmanuel International Cargo and Travels Limited and a board member of Flashnet Ltd, a company involved in Information technology and digital media in the United States. Co-Founder Citadel Jets LTD; a Nigerian online private jet booking and charter company that provides access to aircraft for individuals and corporate organizations. has numerous certificates and awards from organizations and professional Bodies.
KORSTIAAN VANDIVERBOARD MEMBER
KORSTIAAN VANDIVER
(BOARD MEMBER)
As an award-winning filmmaker with his original footing in the Atlanta music industry, Kors brings over 12 years of experience in the film/TV industry as a writer/producer/director.
His scripts have landed attachments and interest from actors such as RyanGosling, Idris Elba, Skylan Brooks, Nate Parker, Emayatzy Corinealdi, and even oscar-winners such as Mahershala Ali. As well as various studios, producers, agencies and management such as Sony/Columbia, David Goyer’s PhantomFour, Kevin Turen, Tyler Perry’s 34th Street Films, Anonymous Content, ICM, CAA, WME, and more.
As a BTS and documentary producer for the Sundance winner “The Birth of an aNation” Kors contributed to script notes for the film. He has produced projects with creatives such as Issa Rae, Lena Waithe, Omari Hardwick, Armie Hammer, and more.
His work has been showcased and purchased by companies such as FoxSearchlight, ABC, 60 Minutes, HBO, National Geographic, Tiny Giant Studios, and VH1 just to name a few. Kors recently wrapped his directorial debut feature film “Gym Rat” which he wrote as well as produced. And as a co-writer, he is currently producing and set to direct “12” chronicling the killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by Cleveland Police. He also teaches screenwriting workshops through a partnership with the Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival
JOSEPH UZOCHUKWU IBEHDIRECTOR FESTIVALS
JOSEPH UZOCHUKWU IBEH
(Director Festivals)
Joseph Uzochukwu Ibeh has an education background in History and International Studies from Imo State University, and Strategic Management (Institute of Strategic Management).
Radio and Television Broadcaster with eleven years’ experience;
- Nigerian Television Authority Ogbomoso (TV Presenter and News Broadcaster)
- Creative Director 270 Degrees (My Tv Africa)
- Hitz Africa (TSTV)
- Programmes Manager Radio Madiba
- On-Air Personality Vision FM
- Writer and Producer, The Labour Room Reality Television Show
- Reputation Poll International Television (Creative Director)
- CEO Business Journal (Creative Director)
- Producer and Writer The Exorable Shrink
He was nominated for the Nigerian Broadcasters Merit Awards for the category of the Best Male OAP.
A board member of Citadel Jets LTD; a Nigerian Digital Logistics private jet booking and charter company that provides access to over 50 aircraft to individuals and corporate organizations seeking to fly scheduled and non-scheduled private flights.
Joseph Uzochukwu Ibeh is a fellow of the African Festival of Arts and Culture
- Co-Founder BlackPride Media and Entertainment
- Director-General of the African Union (ECOSOCC) programme AFESAC
- African Union Agenda 2063 Ambassador
- Director Strategy and Planning for the African Achievers Awards
Joseph Uzochukwu Ibeh currently works at the Integrated Women and Youth Empowerment Center (IWAYEC) as Media Director.
AFINIKI T. MANGZHADIRECTOR PROGRAMS
Afiniki T. Mangzha
(Director Programmes)
Afiniki is a young Nigerian woman who has selflessly given herself to impact and touch the lives of the underprivileged as a humanitarian. She is the Co-Founder and Director of Programmes of the Integrated Women & Youth Empowerment Centre (IWAYEC).
Having worked with several organizations, both National and International, she has initiated and implemented projects that helped improve the lives of people in communities most especially women and children giving them a sense of belonging in their own communities.
Afiniki was born and raised in Maiduguri, Borno State (Nigeria), and has a BSc. Geography, she is a Leap Africa Alumni and has numerous certificates and awards from organizations and professional Bodies. When she is not working, Afiniki enjoys teaching children and reading books.
MYRA SMITHBOARD MEMBER
Myra Smith
(Board Member)
The Myra Smith Experience/Phoenix started in 2008, and she recorded her first album in 2012. As an anaward-winning local artist with several years of experience in the business, several recorded albums for her original songs, she has worked with numerous artists on the national level. She has shared the main stage for the Hampton Jazz Festival as well as numerous local events. Myra’s love of music and people grows stronger every day. In 2014 she became a published author and in 2016 wrote a very powerful and moving documentary. She and is a community activist, as well as an advocate for domestic violence and sexual assault. She has served as the chairman of the board with various organizations and currently is serving on numerous boards of directors.
Myra’s HeartWork Performing Arts Academy is truly near and dear to her heart. This is where her vision truly comes to life, whether at the beginner, intermediate, or advanced level one can find private online or in-house music lessons at Myra’s HeartWork Performing Arts Academy. Located in the heart of Hilton Village in Newport News, VA.
Along with individual lessons, Myra’s HeartWork Performing Arts Academy also caters to day treatment centers, group homes, rehabilitation clinics, and convalescent centers. She has curated a program for survivors of post-traumatic stress disorder, sexual assault, and domestic violence in adults and adolescents. “People Using Song to heal”, often referred to as the P.U.S.H Program, utilizes music therapy to help reinforce positive coping skills through journaling, songwriting, and breathing techniques.
Owner Myra Smith-Jones says, “This is my sanctuary. It’s truly my home away from home. Over the last 5 years since I opened my music academy, no matter what is going on in the world, when you step foot into this space you immediately feel differently. This is where music is created. This is where peace lives. As a recording artist and live performer, I feel it is my job to make you feel something. When I sing, I sing from the heart. Teaching, sharing my gifts, and my love for music is indeed my heart's work.”
TONYE REX IDAMINABODIRECTOR MEDIA/LEGAL
Tonye Rex Idaminabo
Director, Media/Legal
Tonye Rex Idaminabo, a Nigerian lawyer & Serial entrepreneur. Holds a Master’s Degree in International Contracting Law from Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland.
He was ranked by Forbes Magazine among leading Young promising African Entrepreneurs, 2015. Named amongst 100 Most influential Young Africans in 2016.
He is the Founder, African Achievers Awards, CEO of Achievers Media, (A reputation management outfit, a Media company that focuses on developmental analytics and innovation in governance across the world, creating, profiling, and promoting brands. They host the popular African Achievers Award (hosted so far in London, UK-2011&12, Nairobi-Kenya -2013, Nigeria-2014, South Africa 2015, and held inside the Iconic Westminster Parliament in 2017) an annual event that recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations that have distinguished themselves in service towards the growth and development of Africa).
Executive director Institute of Leadership and Management, ED Reputation Poll International Ltd (UK).
He is also the co-founder of the Young CEOs Business Forum, a platform that trains and empowers young entrepreneurs across various countries around the world. www.ycbf.org
(the 7 the edition holds on the 25-27 April 2018 at the Georgia State University Atlanta and Chaired by Xavier Rolet KBE CEO of the London Stock Exchange)
He has received several awards which include the Cambridge Leadership Award which was presented to him by the Mayor of Cambridge.
British Award for African Development at the UK House of Parliament. And many more.
He has received several commendations from Global Leaders.
DR. PRINCE AWUZIEBOARD MEMBER
BENJAMIN UBIRIREGIONAL DIRECTOR, WEST AFRICA
BENJAMIN UBIRI
REGIONAL DIRECTOR, WEST AFRICA
BENJAMIN UBIRI (The penpusher) is also known as Ben200 (Half-Human half amazing).
Benjamin Ubiri is a Media Consultant, broadcaster, poet, storyteller, an award, winning writer, and critic. For more than twenty-two years, he has written stories, mentored Journalists, and taught storytelling.
Winner of the 2009 Nigerian literary journalist of the year award by Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, and publisher of the Book of Chibok. His literary reviews, poem, and short stories have been widely published, both online and in hard journals. He has also edited books by other authors and presented papers at writers’ workshops around Nigeria.
His experience spans from being a newspaper journalist to being a radio presenter, book editor, TV Anchor, and public speaker. He is also a master of ceremonies of international repute.
His philosophy in life is: nothing is too small to be an obstacle, nothing too large to be an advantage.
CARISTO CHITAMFYAREGIONAL DIRECTOR, SOUTHERN AFRICA
Caristo Chitamfya
Chevening Scholar 1999/2000 Cohort.
- MA Communications, Education and Technology -University of Manchester, England.
- Veteran Broadcaster (with over 20 years of Television experience),
- Tourism and Cultural Expert, Public Relations Practitioner, Public Speaker & Public Figure.
- Organisation: Zambia Railways Limited (Manager Public Relations)
FOMBANG BANNS NREGIONAL DIRECTOR, CENTRAL AFRICA
Fombang Banns Nyuydin
Fombang Banns Nyuydin is a Producer and a Creative Director with years of experience on numerous projects in the audiovisual domain. With a vast knowledge in audiovisual production, he also possesses excellent interpersonal and communication skills. He is the Founder and CEO of Olympian House International (OHI), a Cameroonian based production Company.
He graduated from the University of Yaoundé1 (Cameroon) in 2013 where he studied Performing arts and Cinematography and upon graduation, he has had the experience of working with some of Cameroon’s finest in the industry and later founded his company OHI in 2015.
Some of his works throughout the years include his role as Producer/Director on The BigUp Show - a 26mins Weekly TV talk show on the Cameroon national television CRTV airing since September 2019 to present, Director of a Documentary with Olam Cameroon on the Cocoa chain in Cameroon (nursery to exportation) in October 2020, Producer/Director of a 52mins cultural Magazine titled - The Artist which aired from September - November 2018 on the national TV, Producer/Director for the MTV Staying Alive Foundation Documentary with AFCIG Cameroon titled “Play Safe Campaign” in May 2016 amongst others.
Given the bilingual character of his country Cameroon, he speaks both the English and French language and also serves as Regional Director for Central Africa for the African International Documentary Festival Foundation (AFIDFF).
Advisory Board
CHINELO IWENOFUCEO OF AFRICAGENDA LTD
Chinelo Iwenofu
CEO OF AFRICAGENDA (PUBLICATIONS) LTD.
Chinelo Ada Iwenofu started out in the Arts and Entertainment industry as a freelance newspaper reporter, after which she became a magazine columnist and editor before she finally ended up as a publisher of books and magazines, which eventually led to her journey towards the world of film production.
A graduate of law from Southbank University in London England, she also studied at the College of Law in Guildford Surrey and then went on to mostly private practice in London Solicitors’ firms after a brief stint at H.M. Treasury Solicitors in Westminster, London. All this took place over a period of fifteen years. Chinny, (as she is fondly called) always kept up with her first twin passions, namely, reading and writing. In London, she was a freelance reporter for the Voice newspaper and a columnist for Focus magazine, where she was also a member of the editorial board. She was also Editor of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping’s Maritime Digest in Lagos.
She had many articles published in various other London-based magazines and journals, also she still writes poems as a hobby.
After a temporary start with ‘She’ and ‘Bazaar’ women’s magazines as a market researcher and analyst, she ventured into the book publishing landscape in Nigeria.
She founded and registered a publishing company in Abuja Nigeria called Africagenda. Her first book reminded her of a movie. It was Onaedo: The Blacksmith’s Daughter by Ngozi Achebe. Since then, Africagenda has published up to 15 books, both fact, and fiction.
She has been offered a Fellow of the African Documentary Circle (FADC) by the African International Documentary Film Festival in 2018 and was earlier in the same year, awarded the ‘Best Company CEO’ certificate for Quality Content Building and Editorial Works, by The Enterprise-Journal.
Her latest publication, Children Of The Fallen Sun by Chike Okechukwu has attracted the interest of one of Nigeria’s most successful modern-day film directors.
Patricia L. KrabacherBOARD MEMBER
CURRICULA VITA
Patricia L. Krabacher
307 N. Henry St.
New Carlisle, OH 45344
+1-937-765-0483
EXPERIENCE SUMMARY
Thirty-eight years’ experience as contracts and program manager acquisitions for the U.S. Department of Defense. First-class negotiator, Contracting Officer, and innovative deal maker and business leader. Able to build consensus involving complex issues, political pressures, and tight deadlines. A ‘hands-on’ visionary that cares deeply about the mission at hand. Retired Dec 2014 from civilian service. Served as a Nigeria Crisis volunteer 2015-2019 for the Church of the Brethren, Inc. (CoB) in Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS); Centre for Caring, Empowerment, and Peace Initiatives (CCEPI) Humanitarian Researcher and data analyst Jun 2015 through 2020; Nigeria Legal & Policy Work Group (NL&PWG); African International Documentary Festival Foundation (AFIDFF); and COB Global Food Initiative (GFI) Proposal Review Board. Recognized as a partnership builder by the COB, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, and multiple local NGOs in Nigeria, e.g. the Strategic Action for Community Development Nigeria (SACDN) Chapter of the global Movement for Community-Led Development (MCLD).
EXPERIENCE:
Mar 2015 – 2021 currently
- COB BVS Nigeria Volunteer Mar 2015 – Oct 2019;
- AFIDFF-Board Member 2019 - current; SACD Nigeria
- MCLD Chapter-Acquisition Adviser 2020-current;
- Nigeria Legal & Policy Work Group-Secretary 2019-current;
- Haiti Volunteer for Church of the Brethren 2019-current; and
- COB-Global Food Initiative (GFI) Review Panel Apr 2019-current.
Dec 2014
Retired from Civil Service, GS-14
June 2011 – Dec 2014
Small Business Specialist, GS-14, HQ AFMC/SB
Small business liaison and champion for innovators producing value for tax payers and industry. Led Air Force implementation to broaden the industrial base using Industry Days, Broad Agency Announcements (BAA), Statement of Objectives (SOO), Oral Proposals, and other innovations.
Dec 2008 – June 2011
Contracting Officer, GS-13, ASC/PKESI
Led a team of nine negotiators for the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC)
Mar 2002 – Dec 2008
Contracting Officer, GS-13, ASC/XR
Contracts lead for high viz programs that required meetings with the Secretary of the Air Force.
Oct 1987– Mar 2002
Program Manager and Contracting Officer, GS-13 Various staff and Program Offices
Business Process reengineering program manager/supervised ten negotiators.
Oct 1977 – Mar 1987
Procurement Agent-Contract Negotiator, GS-05 to -12
Purchased spare parts, negotiator for Major source selection, unlimited Contracting Officer warrant.
FORMAL EDUCATION:
Wright State University
MBA, Management, 1984
Dayton, Ohio
BS, Psychology & Rehabilitation Education – 1977
DR. ELEANOR ANN NWADINOBIMEDICAL DOCTOR
DR. ELEANOR ANN NWADINOBI, MB,BS. EMA
Medical Doctor
Dr. Eleanor Ann Nwadinobi is a Medical Doctor and a Gender and Human Rights expert. She is the holder of the European Union Masters in Human rights and Democratisation from Venice, Italy.
Her career has spanned working as an anaesthetist at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, South East Kent health Authority in the United Kingdom, and running a private practice, The Tabitha Infirmary in Enugu, Nigeria.
She is the Immediate past Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Chair of the United Nations NGO/DPI Executive Committee. From 2009 – 2017, Dr. Nwadinobi has been a United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Keynote Speaker, Panellist and Delegate. In 2013, she was honoured in New York at the CSW by Nation to Nation networking with an award of merit.
She sits on the Board of several International and National Organisations, and has made numerous conference and workshop presentations. Dr. Nwadinobi is the Centennial Public Relations Subcommittee Chair of Medical Women’s International Association.
Dr. Nwadinobi is also:
- Founding President, Widows Development Organisation (WiDO)
- Founding Zonal Coordinator of a Coalition on Violence Against Women (CEVAW)
- Founding Director of The Tabitha Infirmary Foundation
- Co-Founder Blossoms of the Vine fellowship
- Founding President, King’s Daughters society of the Anglican Communion
- Lady of Knights of the Good Shepherd, Church of Nigeria , Anglican Communion.
- She is an author and contributor to several publications. Her personal profile is
featured in Friedrich Ebert Stiftung publication titled “The hands that build Nigeria:
Nigerian women role models”. - A recipient of several awards, her hobbies include writing, reading, swimming and
traveling. - Dr. Nwadinobi is happily married, and is a mother and grandmother.
LISA GUALTIERI ALFORDPHOTOGRAPHER
Lisa Gualtieri Alford
Lisa Gualtieri Alford is an NYC-based photographer and a Regional Account Manager for Canon USA. At the age of twelve she began taking pictures with her father’s camera. Her passion for photography ignited in college when she began taking formal classes during a study abroad program in Florence, Italy. There, she fell in love with documentary photography and travel, and decided to remain in Europe to attend Parsons Paris the following year. In 2002, she transferred to Parsons School of Design in New York City, and graduated with a BFA in Photography.
Lisa has worked as freelance photographer since 2003 and started a career in sales in 2005. In the latter, she developed expertise in the marketing and technical use of imaging equipment for the professional video, cinema and photography industries. She has been with Canon since 2014 where she conducts workshops, sales and product demos, and learning events for her accounts in Higher Education. She also teaches and coordinates specialized workshops for at-risk youth through the Eyes on Main Street festival and the Photo Department at Columbia College Chicago, and with The Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia for children with cancer and their siblings.
Lisa believes that anyone can use photography as a healing art form and means of self-expression. She is passionate about teaching the art to others so that they can tell their stories while learning a life skill. She currently resides in Queens with her husband, Derrick, and their cat, G-Loco.
DANLADI HASSAN KOBI, FSCABOARD MEMBER
Danladi Hassan Kobi, fsca,
He is a Media and Communications Consultant, based in Abuja, Nigeria. A graduate of Mass Communication and Public Relations in London school of Television and Bayero University Kano, He was a broadcast Journalist for over three decades and has headed Information Departments at Federal level and lectures on Communication at various times for decades in Nigeria and abroad. A widely travelled professional, a Writer on Culture and Management, holds a fellowship of the African Society for Communication and Administration. He is a two times winner of the ‘Best Correspondent Award” Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in 1979 & 1983, War Correspondent of the NTA covering Maitatsine in Gombe, Maiduguri and Yola respectively.
He studied at School of TV Productions, London (Pimlico) 1980 before stringing for the BBC Africa Service 1980-1988. He also attended Konkhain University, Thailand, 2010 and London Corporate Training, Lyrics Square, London, 2012 graduating with Advance Public Relations Certificates.
He was an NTA Ace Newscaster 1978-1988. Former Managing Director, Bauchi Television and former Managing Director, Mango and Tomato Processing Company before becoming Nigeria’s Nodal Officer, Federal Ministry of Information and Communication in 2000 and retired in 2014 as the Head of Centre, FMIC, in charge of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Nigeria. In 2014, Prince DH Kobi became a PR/Media Consultant, based in Abuja, Nigeria.
Danladi Hassan Kobi is a media consultant and member of the African International Documentary Festival Foundation Advisory Board.
Dr. Adegbola OjoBoard Member and Head of Innovation, Enterprise & Knowledge Exchange
Adegbola Ojo
Adegbola Ojo is a visionary academic who balances the triple helix of leading-edge academic research with robust industry-relevant applications and agile impact-focused global research consultancy. He has a PhD in Quantitative Human Geography, University of Sheffield, MSc in Geographic Information Science, University College London and BSc in Geography and Planning Sciences, University of Ado-Ekiti. His core mission in research, teaching and service to the community is mastering world systems, innovation and development. He is Director of Teaching and Learning and Programme Leader at the School of Geography, University of Lincoln, UK. He sits on the Management Group of the Lincoln Centre for Water and Planetary Health (LCWPH) and he is part of the UK-Nigeria Diaspora Covid-19 Response Consortium. He is a Visiting Academic at London Metropolitan University. Adegbola is also a member of the International Advisory Board (IAB) and College of Collaborating Experts, Dominican University, Nigeria among others.
Adegbola is credited with developing the first set of small area segmentation systems that address the policy-specific needs of developing countries. The impact of his research has triggered special recognition from a wide range of stakeholders. At various times, he has been Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator, Named Researcher and Consultant on major research programmes and projects which in total have attracted funding in excess of £5 million. He has also held a prestigious British Academy Skills Innovator Award.
His research sits at the intersection of humanitarian decision sciences, social justice, and societal prosperity. Key aspects of his research and practice have focused on the ways societies across the world meet human needs for safety, environmental security, justice, socio-economic, governance and related policy needs. His work embraces innovative multi-method approaches which subsume deep integration of interdisciplinary theory and advanced mixed-methods research practices. His work seeks to address how states and societies respond to global challenges of social, demographic and economic change, and of poverty, human mobility and globalization. He is interested in the understanding and representation of the socio-economic and spatial dynamics and intricacies of population behavior within a framework of Interdisciplinary Studies, Quantitative Social Science, Humanitarian Sciences and Computer Modelling. Research activities are grouped around the development and application of small area classifications, geographic information systems and geographic information science for informing public policy. A series of research themes and application areas include: Census and Social Survey Research Practice, Geodemographics, Planning Support Systems for Crime Science and Intelligent Policing, Urban Geography, Space-time Dynamics of Human Population Mobility, Geographies of Health, Security and Development, Big Data Analytics, and African Development Studies. He actively designs and utilises new and emerging forms of data for solving humanitarian and security and social justice problems.
His recent books include Social Revolutions and Governance Aspirations of African Millennials: Emerging from the Political Shadows of Strongmen (Springer); GIS and Machine Learning for Small Area Classifications in Developing Countries (Taylor and Francis); and Urbanisation and Crime in Nigeria (Palgrave Macmillan).
Tony ChukaBOARD MEMBER
Tony Chuka is an experienced writer, director, and producer who’s been in media for 15+ years. He’s had experience with The Library of Congress, development at Miramax, production work at USC, and private consulting for clients in media, tech, and beyond. He’s currently attached as head writer, along with frequent collaborator Freddie O Anyaegbunam Jr., for Ini Dima-Okojie’s latest project, along with in-progress works with Ramsey Nouah and Mildred Okwo. Although he’s always wanted to keep a low profile so as to focus exclusively on supporting individuals behind the scenes, Tony felt compelled to start MANASTORY for a simple vision: to maintain the human spirit of art within the face of ever-evolving technology… by both embracing and challenging it.
We are here to embrace legendary tales… from myth to reality
REGINA AMADI-NJOKUBOARD MEMBER
REGINA AMADI-NJOKU
An African award winner in leadership excellence, diplomat, prolific speaker,
lecturer, author and mentor, Ms Regina Amadi–Njoku is a strong advocate of
rights-based, culture-rooted and gender-responsive development in Africa. She
served as an Assistant Director General and Regional Director for Africa at the
International Labour Organization (ILO) with the rank of the United Nations
Assistant Secretary General. She worked as a Project Coordinator at the World
Bank; and acted as Regional Programme Director of West Africa for the United
Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM), now UN Women. She served as the deputy
director of the colloquium division during the 1977 Africa’s Festival of Arts and
Culture (FESTAC) in Nigeria. She worked in public service in her country,
Nigeria.
Ms Regina Amadi-Njoku ardently contributes to the development efforts of
Nigeria, Africa and beyond with her thirty-five years of expertise and experience
acquired in the corporate sector, governments, and international development
institutions such as the World Bank, the United Nations, academia, government,
and private sector organizations.
Ms Amadi-Njoku is a pioneer member of the board of trustees of the Southeast
Regional Economic Development Corporation (SEREDEC) in Nigeria. She is the
Founder of Other Half Empowerment Initiative (Other Half), an NGO that
addresses the interplay of culture and gender in development, with a special focus
on men's and women's access to equitable participation and leadership in governance and development.
She lectured at universities in the United States and has written extensively on
African development and gender issues. She co-authored a book on Culture,
Gender and African Women Leadership and authored a book on Culture, Gender
and Work. She is a recipient of several honours and awards, including 2020
African Achievers Award in leadership. Ms Amadi-Njoku served and still serves
on the boards of several institutions. She is the Chairperson of the Boards of
Trustees of Ajoba Foundation and the Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo (NNII), a global
development organization of Igbo women of the South East of Nigeria.
