The prestigious Henley Business School, University of Reading, United Kingdom has announced the appointment of Muhammad Sani Abdullahi as an associate and founding member of its Dunning Africa Center.
Making the announcement, Rajneesh Narula OBE, Director of both the Dunning Africa Centre and the John Dunning Centre for international business notes that Mr Muhammad, an astute and erudite Development Economist would be joining the institution, as it begins operations at its African Center, in the same month.
“We believe that your experience and background would not only enhance our profile, but that in the longer run, your ongoing work helps contribute to our objectives to improve business environment in African countries”, reads the joint statement announcing the appointment. It also reiterates that, “the Dunning Africa Centre (DAC) will emphasise both conceptual and applied research with the aim of optimising the engagement of African firms and governments with the forces of globalization, particularly those relating to trade and Foreign direct investment.
Muhammad is the former chief of staff to Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Elrufai and the current Commissioner for Budget and Planning in Kaduna State.
Other notable appointees include Andrew Mold, the Acting Director of the Subregional Office for Eastern Africa, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Professor Aloysius Newenham-Kahindi, a Canada Research Chair in International Sustainable Development at the Gustavson Business School, University of Victoria in Canada. , and Dr Helena Barnard, Professor at the Gordon Institute of Business Science of the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
The Centre has a threefold objective which includes nurturing academic researchers in management, business studies and economics interested in globalization, as well as acting as a ‘virtual hub’ that promotes collaboration between research institutions, universities, and businesses to study the impact of globalization and International Business. These are in addition to offering short, intensive courses to help managers and policymakers across Africa to handle these challenges.
Muhammad who currently serves as a member of the World Bank Expert Advisory Council on Citizen Engagement, was before his appointment in Kaduna, a policy adviser at the Executive Office of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in New York.
