James O. Obakpolor

James O. Obakpolor has a diverse work experience in both public and healthcare sectors. James O. is currently serving as the Chief Planning Officer at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget & National Planning in Nigeria since January 2021. Prior to this role, they held a similar position at the Ministry of Budget and National Planning in Abuja.

In 2023, James worked as an Analyst and Support Worker at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.

Their earlier experience includes serving as a Principal Planning Officer at the Ministry of Budget and National Planning from 2015 to 2017. In this role, they were responsible for sustainable development goals (SDGs) planning, inter-ministerial collaboration, and macroeconomic modeling for socio-economic policy planning.

Before that, James worked as a Senior Planning Officer at the National Planning Commission from 2011 to 2014. James O. contributed to sector policy support, research studies, macroeconomic modeling, regional economic surveillance, and monitoring and evaluation exercises for government policies and projects.

James O. Obakpolor holds a Master of Science in International Development from the University of Reading, which they attained from 2021 to 2022. James O. also obtained a Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation from the National Institute for Labour Economics Research & Development in N. Delhi, India in 2015. In 1998, they completed their Bachelor of Science in Economics at the University of Uyo. Additionally, James earned a Certification of Completion (CoC) from the National Youth Service Corps in 2001. Furthermore, they are currently pursuing a Master of Science in Development Economics and International Development at the University of Reading.