BAECC Appoints Onwodi Chief Operating Officer

By Adebola Muili

The Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company Limited (BAECC) has appointed Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and infrastructure specialist, Dr Emmanuel Onwodi, as its Chief Operating Officer (COO).

The company said the appointment was aimed at strengthening its executive leadership as it advances the development and management of the Benin-Asaba Expressway corridor.

Onwodi, a chartered accountant and infrastructure finance specialist, brings more than 25 years of professional experience spanning infrastructure development, concession management, project finance, risk management, transport and logistics.

According to BAECC, his responsibilities as COO will include driving the operational execution of the expressway concession, strengthening project delivery, coordinating key stakeholders and supporting the implementation of the company’s long-term objectives.

He will also be responsible for promoting operational efficiency, maintaining the integrity of the concession framework and strengthening collaboration among government institutions, investors, contractors, lenders, host communities and other stakeholders connected with the project.

Onwodi previously spent about 14 years in senior positions at the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), where he rose to director-level roles covering Transport Infrastructure, Planning, Research and Statistics, and Special Projects.

During his time at the ICRC, he participated in the development, review and implementation of major PPP and infrastructure initiatives covering roads, railways, ports, aviation, energy, real estate and social infrastructure.

His experience includes concession structuring and negotiation, project finance, financial modelling, risk allocation, contingent liabilities and the development of frameworks to improve the bankability and sustainability of infrastructure projects.

He also contributed to major national infrastructure policy initiatives, including the Nigerian Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan and the National Infrastructure Financing Policy, as well as guidelines supporting PPP implementation across Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

In the transport sector, BAECC said Onwodi’s experience covers road concessions, national tolling frameworks, railway development, deep-sea ports, dry ports, truck transit parks and aviation infrastructure.

He participated in the negotiation and structuring of the Eastern and Western Railway concessions, valued at more than $2.2 billion, while also contributing to work on high-speed rail business cases and transaction advisory.

Onwodi holds a Ph.D. in Risk Management in Public-Private Partnerships, with research focused on contingent liability risk. He also holds an M.Sc. in Risk Management from Birmingham City University, United Kingdom, and a B.A. in International Accounting from the University of Northampton, UK.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA) and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (FCILT), and is also a Certified Public-Private Partnership Professional (CP3P), Chartered Financial Consultant (CFC) and Chartered Management Consultant (Ch.MC).

Commenting on his approach to infrastructure development, Onwodi said: “Infrastructure is the bridge between vision and prosperity. Through balanced risk, transparent partnership, and rigorous execution, we turn concession agreements into lasting public value — for generations to come.”

BAECC said his combination of public-sector experience, private infrastructure knowledge, financial expertise and familiarity with complex concession arrangements would support the company’s efforts to deliver the Benin-Asaba Expressway project.

The company said the appointment comes at a critical stage in the development of the corridor, noting that effective coordination among the concessionaire, government institutions, contractors, financiers, communities and road users would be essential to the project’s success.

The Benin-Asaba Expressway is being developed under a PPP concession and serves as a major transport link between Edo and Delta states, facilitating the movement of people and goods across southern Nigeria.

BAECC said the scale and long-term nature of the project require strong expertise in engineering, concession management, financing, risk allocation, logistics, stakeholder engagement and operational coordination.

The company added that Onwodi’s appointment reinforces its commitment to assembling the professional and technical leadership required to deliver the expressway as a safe, efficient and modern national infrastructure project.