Dr Joe Abah is an experienced international development professional with a successful history of managing government institutions. He is an expert in Government Reforms, Institutional Change, Business Development, Organizational Change & Performance, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Political and Economic Development.
Dr Joe Abah graduated from the University of Calabar in 1985, with a Bachelor of Laws, LL.B (Hons) degree and was called to the Bar thereafter by the Nigeria Law School, Lagos in 1986. He proceeded to London Guildhall University, London where he obtained Master of Arts (M.A) in Business Law in 1992. Dr Joe Abah holds a PhD in Governance and Public Policy Analysis from the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, Maastricht University, the Netherlands, where he currently serves as a Visiting Lecturer. He is a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.
Joe Abah gained extensive experience in the governance sector, working on public sector reform programs for the U.K. Prime Minister’s Office. He has spent more than 10 years managing governance programs in Nigeria for the U.K. Department for International Development, including on the DAI-led State Partnership for Accountability Responsiveness and Capability project. He was then appointed as the National Programme Coordinator for State Partnership for Accountability, Responsiveness and Capability (SPARC). The SPARC programme is a joint initiative between the governments of Nigeria and the UK which works at both the regional and federal government level to effect and support governance reforms in the country.
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In 2013, Dr Joe Abah became the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms in Nigeria. Under his leadership, he emphasized the need for public service reforms to focus on tangible improvements in the lives of citizens, not just administrative reforms. Being a strong champion for electronic government, he led the development of a web-based performance assessment tool for government agencies that won a Pan African Award for Innovation. He led improvements in the processing of drivers’ licenses, international passports, tax clearance certificates, and national identity management. He also led the institutional reforms of dozens of agencies and parastatals.
Presently, Dr Joe Abah is the Country Director of Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI). DAI is an international development company that works with a wide range of clients, including national and local governments, bilateral and multilateral donors, private corporations, and philanthropies in over 100 countries. Here, he provides technical and strategic inputs to DAI’s existing portfolio of projects, in addition to supporting business development initiatives.
With his wealth of knowledge, Dr Joe Abah is dedicated to inspiring the younger generation through digital media, especially Twitter, where he speaks on varying topics like politics, government, academics, law and life in general.
We are inspired by Dr Joe Abah and wish him more success in the future.