BAECC Appoints Infrastructure Expert Emmanuel Onwodi as Chief Operating Officer

 BAECC Appoints Infrastructure Expert Emmanuel Onwodi as Chief Operating Officer

The Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company Limited (BAECC) has appointed Dr. Emmanuel Onwodi, a public-private partnership (PPP) and infrastructure finance specialist, as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO).

The appointment is expected to strengthen the company’s executive leadership as it advances the development and management of the Benin-Asaba Expressway corridor under a Public-Private Partnership concession.

Onwodi, a chartered accountant and former senior official of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), brings more than 25 years of experience spanning infrastructure development, concession management, project finance, risk management, transport and logistics.

As COO, he will be responsible for supporting the operational execution of the expressway concession, coordinating key stakeholders and helping implement BAECC’s long-term strategic objectives.

His responsibilities will also include promoting operational efficiency, safeguarding the integrity of the concession framework and strengthening collaboration among government agencies, investors, contractors, lenders, host communities and other stakeholders involved in the project.

Onwodi’s career has largely focused on the intersection of government policy, private capital and infrastructure development.

He holds a Ph.D. in Risk Management in Public-Private Partnerships, with research focused on contingent liability risk. He also has 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 further holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Logistics and Supply Chain Management from the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology, Zaria.

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

He spent about 14 years in senior positions at the ICRC, rising to director-level roles covering Transport Infrastructure, Planning, Research and Statistics, and Special Projects.

During his time at the commission, 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 designed to improve the bankability and sustainability of infrastructure projects.

He also contributed to major national 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.

Onwodi served on the Inter-Agency Committee that developed Nigeria’s Sukuk bond framework, aimed at expanding alternative sources of financing for infrastructure development.

His transport-sector 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, as well as high-speed rail business cases and transaction advisory assignments.

His maritime infrastructure experience includes work connected with frameworks for the Badagry Deep-Sea Port, Ibom Deep-Sea Port and Bakassi Port, alongside broader maritime and logistics policy initiatives.

Onwodi has also worked on PPP structuring and financial modelling for aviation and airport infrastructure, independent power projects, hydropower risk allocation and other energy-sector transactions.

His portfolio further includes urban and social infrastructure projects, including the National Theatre concession, Federal Secretariat PPP and infrastructure models in the health and education sectors.

In infrastructure finance and investment, he has participated in transactions aimed at mobilising private capital for public projects, including the structuring of a transaction that attracted more than N41 billion in private investment into a single project.

He also contributed to the development of Direct Negotiation guidelines designed to reduce transaction timelines and associated costs in infrastructure procurement.

Beyond infrastructure transactions, Onwodi has been involved in professional education and capacity building. He currently serves as Director of Programme and Capacity Building at the PPP Practitioners Association of Nigeria (P3PAN) and as Branch Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Abuja.

He has delivered presentations and participated in professional engagements on PPPs, infrastructure finance, transport, risk management and concession development in Nigeria and internationally, including platforms associated with the World Association of Public-Private Partnerships and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

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 strengthen the company’s capacity to execute the Benin-Asaba Expressway project.

The company noted that the appointment comes at a critical stage in the development of the corridor, where effective coordination among the concessionaire, government institutions, contractors, financiers, communities and road users will be central to successful delivery.

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

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

The company said Onwodi’s appointment reinforces its commitment to building the professional and technical leadership required to deliver the expressway to the standards expected of a major national infrastructure project.

BAECC added that its immediate priority remains effective execution of the concession and constructive engagement with stakeholders towards delivering a safe, efficient and modern Benin-Asaba Expressway.