Benin-Asaba Highway: Concession Company Names Dr Emmanuel Onwodi New COO to Drive Project Delivery

The management of the Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company Limited has announced the appointment of Dr Emmanuel Onwodi as its new Chief Operating Officer as work advances on the strategic highway corridor.

Dr Onwodi is a well-known Public-Private Partnership specialist, infrastructure finance expert and chartered accountant with over 25 years experience in infrastructure development and concession management.

His appointment is aimed at strengthening the leadership and operational capacity of the company as it delivers the Benin-Asaba Expressway, a key road linking Edo and Delta States and a major gateway for movement of people and goods in Southern Nigeria.

As Chief Operating Officer, Dr Onwodi will oversee day-to-day operations of the concession, drive project execution, ensure operational efficiency and coordinate critical stakeholders including government agencies, investors, lenders, contractors and host communities.

He will also be responsible for safeguarding the concession framework and ensuring the project delivers long-term value to road users, investors and the Nigerian economy.

Dr Onwodi comes with extensive public and private sector experience. He spent about 14 years at the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, ICRC, where he rose to director level and headed Transport Infrastructure, Planning, Research and Statistics, and Special Projects.

In that role, he worked on major infrastructure transactions across roads, railways, ports, aviation, energy, real estate and social infrastructure.

He was part of teams that negotiated and structured multi-billion naira and dollar concessions including the Eastern and Western Railway concessions valued at over $2.2 billion, frameworks for Badagry Deep-Sea Port, Ibom Deep-Sea Port, Bakassi Port, as well as projects on tolling, truck transit parks, airport infrastructure, power projects and the National Theatre and Federal Secretariat PPPs.

He also contributed to national infrastructure policy including the Nigerian Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan, National Infrastructure Financing Policy and PPP guidelines for MDAs. He served on the committee that developed Nigeria’s Sukuk bond framework which opened new funding for infrastructure.

One of the transactions he worked on attracted over N41 billion in private investment into a single federal project.

Academically, Dr Onwodi holds a PhD in Risk Management in Public-Private Partnerships with focus on contingent liability risk, an M.Sc in Risk Management from Birmingham City University, UK, a B.A in International Accounting from University of Northampton, UK, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Logistics and Supply Chain Management from Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology, Zaria.

Professionally, he is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, FCA, Fellow of Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, FCILT, Certified PPP Professional, CP3P, Chartered Financial Consultant and Chartered Management Consultant.

He is currently Director of Programme and Capacity Building for PPP Practitioners Association of Nigeria and Branch Chairman of Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Abuja.

He has presented papers on PPPs, infrastructure finance and risk management at international platforms including World Association of PPPs and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

The company said his blend of policy knowledge, financial expertise and concession management experience will help ensure successful delivery of the expressway.

Speaking on his appointment, Dr Onwodi said infrastructure is the bridge between vision and prosperity, noting that with balanced risk, transparent partnership and rigorous execution, concession agreements can be turned into lasting public value.

BAECC said its immediate focus remains timely delivery of a safe, efficient and modern Benin-Asaba Expressway that meets national standards.