He’s not solely the driving drive behind TraderMoni, however your entire GEEP micro-loans program which has disbursed over 1.5 million micro-loans since 2016.
(Image Above) Mr. Uzoma Nwagba with the Government Director, Financial institution of Trade (Mrs. Toyin Adeniji) and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in a market reporting on progress of the TraderMoni programme. Supply: Thisday, Sept 27, 2018.
Except you reside in a cave, you may have most likely heard loads about GEEP TraderMoni, the intervention prorgramme of the Federal Authorities giving loans to hundreds of thousands of petty merchants, beginning at N10,000. However what shocked us is that it’s apparently run by a younger man often called “Oga Uzo” throughout the GEEP circle.
The Chief Working Officer of TraderMoni is one Mr. Uzoma Nwagba from Abia State, and he’s 31 years previous! Sources say he’s a prodigy of the present Minister of Trade, Dealer and Funding, Okechukwu Enelamah. Chatting with our sources on the Financial institution of Trade, we study he has in actual fact been a driving drive behind your entire Federal Authorities GEEP undertaking, since 2016 (so he began at 28?).
Supply: Twitter
Our sources reveal {that a} typical work day for the ex-Goldman Sachs Analyst is filled with high-pressure conferences with subject operators, expertise suppliers, agent networks and cost companions, laced with lengthy classes with “the ED” (referring to Mrs. Adeniji, the Government Director at BOI), and frequent visits to the “villa” (presumably referring to the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo). “He comes in and is usually on the phone, giving instructions to the teams. He checks in on everyone, goes to see the ED. Next thing he is off to the airport. He is hardly ever in the office but always in touch,” a supply mentioned. Most different days for the ex-Microsoft Mission Supervisor are full of dusty, muddy roads from Sokoto and Yenagoa, and market squares in a number of obscure places in Nigeria, surrounded by cray-fish, pepper, tomato, cattle, and all types of keen and excited merchants throughout the spectrum.
“Uzo is young but very smart and very confident; almost intimidating. You can’t bullshit him. He works even harder than us, and asks a lot of questions” a supply mentioned.
Having a youngster drive such a large nationwide undertaking with over 4,000 staff is kind of commendable, so we appeared him up. It’s curious how the Harvard grad has made the leap from Engineering or Funding Banking in New York, to taking interest-free loans to hundreds of thousands of merchants throughout the nation.
On-line sources reveal that Uzoma Nwagba attended Kings School, Lagos the place he was head boy of the principle campus and constantly high of his class. (KC boys, are you able to verify this?). He then proceeded to Howard College, Washington DC the place he graduated with a First Class in Electrical Engineering. While at Howard, Mr. Nwagba was a Pupil Authorities President, and Pupil of the 12 months 2008. After Howard, he labored as an Analyst in Goldman Sachs, New York. He subsequently moved on to Microsoft in Redmond to work as a Mission Supervisor, one of many youngest within the historical past of the corporate to carry that position, at age 21.
We’re advised Nwagba left the dream job at Microsoft and returned to Nigeria for a 12 months to finish his NYSC, after which he proceeded to Harvard College for his MBA. On-line sources additionally present he served as a member and chief of varied golf equipment: African Enterprise Club, Administration Consulting Club, Public Talking and Negotiation Club, Enterprise in Authorities Club, and the Harvard Christian Fellowship. Uzoma’s LinkedIn profile appears to not have been up to date in years.
In a rustic the place 70-year-olds run all the things in authorities, that is unusual, however very commendable. We tried to get Mr. Nwagba to speak however our correspondents couldn’t attain him.
Supply: Twitter