About
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Martin is an experienced strategy and policy advisor and certified program/project
manager. He has worked extensively across Africa, advising public institutions, bilateral and
multilateral development agencies, international foundations, and private corporations on
strategy and execution, public policy reform, and organisational effectiveness. He is currently
the Managing Partner at Gawani Africa, a strategy and innovation advisory start-up he
founded in 2019. Prior to founding Gawani Africa, he was an Associate Partner and member
of the global management team at Dalberg Advisors – and before then, he worked with
Accenture playing a key role in the firm’s successful expansion into the public sector in
Nigeria, and helping build the firm’s internal capabilities in strategy development.
Over the last 5 years, Martin has worked extensively on global research and innovation with a
specific focus on strengthening national research capacities of low- and medium-income
countries (LMICs) across the world, and particularly in Africa. His work in this domain includes
helping to incubate an African coalition for strengthening research and innovation; advising
on an initiative to establish a continental research fund for Africa; and helping to implement
a mechanism to improve coordination between large global funders of health research for
greater synergy in investments in LMIC clinical research capacity strengthening. He currently
is a Consultant to the Special Programs for Tropical Diseases Research (TDR) on the UK-led G7
initiative to strengthen global infrastructure for clinical trials towards faster development of
vaccines, drugs, and therapeutics during global public health emergencies. Martin has
recently started work on developing a tech-enabled platform to help young thinkers and
potential innovators in Africa’s higher institutions develop their critical thinking skills and
strengthen their research competencies, to improve their readiness to conduct or participate
in international standard research. Other interests include public health, nutrition, tech-driven
innovation in the public sector, and economic growth strategies and policy execution.
He has recently become involved with the African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA) a
Pan-African network for social investors aimed at bridging the social investment financing
gap on the continent. He also founded LearnHistory Africa, an NGO with a mission to help
preserve the connection between African children and Africa’s rich history, by giving
children a modern and positive perspective of African history and culture through immersive
experiences. Martin has a Bachelors’ degree in Geography and Regional Planning from the
University of Benin in Nigeria and a masters’ degree in Information Technology from the
University of Lagos, Nigeria. He served on the Planning Committee of the annual Nigeria
Economic Summit between 2011 and 2016. He has been a certified Project Manager on the
PRINCE II methodology since 2006.
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