By Stanley Nwanosike
Enugu – The board of directors of African Heritage Institute (Afri-Heritage) has approved the appointment of Prof. Ufo Okeke-Uzodike as its executive director.
The institution, formerly known as African Institute for Applied Economics, also appointed Dr Nonso Obikili as its Director of Applied Economics Programme.
A statement from the institute’s Communications Officer, Mrs Gloria Favour, in Enugu on Monday, noted that Okeke-Uzodike was a political scientist with early educational training in Nigeria and further studies in the U.S.
“His PhD is in the field of political science with sub-field interests and specialisations in international relations, international political-economy, U.S. foreign policy, conflict transformation and peace studies and comparative politics.
“Drawing from this training, his research activities straddle the linked and mutually reinforcing areas of governance, conflict and development,’’ it said.
The statement said that with more than 15 years of managerial experience and 28 years of academic experience, Okeke-Uzodike had served as the dean and head of the school of social sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
It said that he was also the academic coordinator of international relations in the school of politics at the same university.
It also noted that Obikili was an economist with research interests in African economic history, economic development and macroeconomics.
The statement noted that he holds a PhD in Economics from the State University of New York at Binghamton, U.S.
“He has published various scholarly articles in international journals on topics such as the slave trade, political competition and economic growth.
“He was formerly a research associate at Economic Research Southern Africa and a lecturer at the State University of New York in Binghamton.
“He is a regular contributor to various policy think-tanks both in Nigeria and internationally,’’ it said.
The Afri-Heritage conducts economics and political policy research, facilitates policy advocacy, training, networking and consulting services.