Emeka Okpukpara is an accomplished Project Manager and International Development professional with over seventeen (16) years of cognate experience in Risk Management, Finance, Project Development and implementation across a broad spectrum of sectors in Nigeria and Abroad. In his current role as Partner at Nextier Power, he oversees the USAID-funded Technical Support program, Nigeria Power Sector Program (NPSP) and the FCDO-funded United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (UKNIAF,) where he leverages his cognate experience in analyzing the electricity network from a technical, economic, and legal viewpoint to provide solutions to the power challenges in the Nigerian Electricity sector. He was a part of the team that provided review and guidance to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission for the recently released draft of the mini-grid regulation. In addition, he has led teams that have developed various tools for analyzing the Nigeria network grid and harnessed market data for operational efficiency and improvement.
As quite the renewable energy enthusiast, he constantly leverages his networks and discovers new markets for energy technologies, particularly for captive and embedded power generation, locally and abroad. Before joining Nextier, Emeka had previously worked at the Federal Ministry of Power in Nigeria, using his data-gathering skills to drive change within the Honourable Minister’s reform and change management team. He also served on the critical national assets committee as a liaison to the Honourable Minister’s team and with risk assessment for various units within the ministry. Before the energy space transition, Emeka worked as a Risk Control Consultant for global risk management, finance, and benefits firm. Emeka spent several years in various roles focusing on client retention, particularly for the municipalities and construction companies in South Eastern United States. In these roles, he assessed the client’s exposures, including sales, revenue, total inventory value, and payroll, to determine the best risk approach to engage clients. He is a prolific writer who has published extensively in The Electricity Hub, Business Day and ThisDay Newspapers.