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Sub Saharan Africa International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference   

Eko Convention Center, Lagos, Nigeria
11-13 February 2025

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Olu Verheijn

Mrs Olu Verheijn

Special Advisor to the Nigerian President on Energy, Federal Republic of Nigeria

Mrs. Olubukola Arowolo Verheijen is the Special Adviser to the Nigerian President on Energy. She is a member of Advisory Board of Energy for Growth, a Washington D.C. based organization focused on research and advocacy to end energy poverty in Africa. She is the founding Managing Director of Latimer Energy, an advisory firm specializing in business strategy, market development, and commercial negotiations for capital projects and investments in the energy sector. She has over 20 years of business development, investment, operational, public policy, and general management e experience in the oil, gas and renewables sectors across Sub-Saharan Africa with international companies. Mrs. Verheijen serves on the Advisory Council of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a US agency that has invested over $14 billion in developing countries worldwide. She previously held various commercial, finance, and governance roles at Shell. She negotiated transactions valued at over $5 billion and advised on government policies to attract investment to the gas sector and enhance liquidity in the power sector. She also was a Partner and Chair of the Investment Committee at Persistent, a climate-focused investment firm, where she managed a pan-African portfolio of distributed renewables companies. She led the firm's investment in Daystar Power, which is the leading provider of renewable energy solutions for commercial and industrial customers in West Africa. Daystar was later acquired by Shell, marking its first acquisition of a power company on the continent. Ms. Verheijen is passionate about development in Africa and a strong advocate for diversity. She writes and speaks on issues relating to the intersection of energy and economic growth on the continent. She is also the Founder of BFA Foundation, which funds scholarships for women and other disadvantaged groups to expand their career advancement opportunities in high-growth sectors, including the energy sector. Ms. Verheijen has a BA (Magna Cum Laude) from Long Island University and Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

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