The Nigerian Senate Committee on the South-South Development Commission (SSDC) has successfully screened Usoro Akpabio, FRSA, FCE, as the pioneer Managing Director/CEO of the newly established Commission.
The screening took place at Committee Hearing Room 2.21, Senate New Building, Abuja, following an official invitation extended to the nominees earlier this month.
The session was chaired by Senator Benson Sunday Konbowei, who led the engagement alongside other distinguished members of the committee.
Her confirmation marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s effort to institutionalize coordinated development across the oil-rich South-South geopolitical zone. Akpabio, a seasoned energy executive and public sector strategist, brings over 18 years of experience spanning oil and gas trading, stakeholder engagement, regional energy diplomacy, and public-private development strategy.
Until recently, she served as Group General Manager for Trading, Government, and Client Relations at Century Energy Group, where she played key roles in gas commercialization, refinery alignment with government frameworks, and regulatory compliance. Her appointment has received widespread commendation, particularly from stakeholders in Akwa Ibom State and the broader Niger Delta region, who see her as a transformative figure equipped to steer the SSDC’s developmental mandate.
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Her professional trajectory includes serving as a senior strategic consultant to a major Nigerian refinery project, where she coordinated legislative and operational alignment. She also held top development and relations roles at Taleveras Group and previously contributed in the mortgage and infrastructure finance sectors with Intercontinental Group. Her petroleum industry expertise spans oil field services, terminal/pipeline operations, and FPSO liaison roles, further enhancing her capacity to drive energy-linked developmental outcomes.
Akpabio is an alumna of the University of Calabar and has undergone executive education at leading global institutions, including Imperial College London and Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. Usoro has engaged in high-profile policy events, including the United Nations General Assembly, UN Women on Peace & Security Resolution, United States Institute of Peace on Conflict Analysis and Prevention, AFREXIM Intra-African Trade Events/AGM, and Global Maritime Security Conferences.
She is a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts (UK) and the Chartered Institute of Economists and is actively affiliated with industry bodies such as the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Nigerian Gas Association, and International Association of Safety Professionals.
Her humanitarian footprint is embodied in the Usoro Akpabio Educational Foundation (UAEF), which supports education, vocational training, women’s empowerment, and health initiatives for underserved communities. The foundation has sponsored surgeries, constructed boreholes, supported special-needs schools, and provided scholarships to indigent students.
She has been recognized with several national and international honours, including the African Achievers Award (UK House of Commons), the Humanitarian Woman of the Year (Nigerian Festival Awards), and the Commonwealth Youth Ambassador Award for advocacy against electoral violence.
Akpabio’s appointment comes at a time of high expectations for the SSDC, which is mandated to drive sustainable infrastructure, youth employment, environmental remediation, and industrial investment across Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Edo, Delta, and Cross River States. Her combined private-sector competence, public policy experience, and community-rooted leadership are widely seen as critical assets as the Commission begins its foundational work.
With a formal assumption of office imminent, attention now turns to the Commission’s first-year action plan and its alignment with the development aspirations of the South-South region.
