Building Bridges and Encouraging Dialogues

Franklin Olakunle Amoo is a managing partner at Baylis Funds and an active investor in several operating companies across Africa, serving on several company boards. Prior to co-founding Baylis, he helped lead the Strategic Credit Group at Mizuho Securities USA, overseeing the firm’s activities with regards to originating, structuring, and trading illiquid and real assets. Prior to Mizuho, Mr. Amoo worked at Deutsche Bank; Bank of America; and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. He began his career as an analyst in the Media & Telecom Investment Banking Group at Bank of America. A co-founder of the Africa Pandemic Response Alliance, Mr. Amoo serves on the business advisory board of the Ooni of Ife, the traditional ruler of the Yoruba people of West Africa; chairs the Loan Market Association’s Task Force on African Secondary Loan Trading; and serves on the Prep for Prep Associates Council. Mr. Amoo holds a B.A. in Economics from Columbia University and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also an avid farmer and the proprietor of a working farm in Ogun State, Nigeria.

Ngozi Egbuna, Ph.D., is the Director General of the West African Monetary institute (WAMI), the first woman to hold the position in the Institute’s 20–year history. Previous to her appointment, she was an economist with the Central Bank of Nigeria. Dr. Egbuna holds a Ph.D. in Agriculture and Rural Development from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria; Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Economics from the University of Lagos; and a second Master’s degree in Technology and Rural Development from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State. She is a fellow of the Nigerian Statistical Association and a life member of the Nigerian Economic Society. The author of four books as well as many articles for various journals, professional magazines, and newsletters/newspapers, Dr. Egbuna’s passion lies in fostering financial inclusion and literacy in women and children.

Onyinye is a seasoned transportation leader, change agent, and transportation federal programs expert.

Onyinye’s specialties are strategic planning, urban development, transportation planning, Federal Highway and Transit programs, and capital program development. Over her nearly two-decade career in transportation, she has been a leader in policy development, systems reconstructions, and multi-billion dollar emergency relief efforts. She is a trusted advisor in operational, compliance, and financial matters and held key executive roles in NYC, Atlanta, and now in Texas. She has served on executive Metropolitan Planning Organization committees. She oversaw apportionment development, transportation improvement program, air quality conformity, and 35-year regional transportation long-range planning. She has served on the Planning, Policy and Program Development and Innovative Funding, Finance, and P3 Committees for APTA.

Onyinye is completing an EMBA at Cornell University, Johnson School of Business focusing on Commercial Real Estate Development. Onyinye currently holds a Master’s in Corporate Communications and Integrated Marketing from the New York Institute of Technology, She is an Inaugural Fellow for the NYU Transportation Emerging Fellowship and Leadership NY. She was awarded 40 under 40 for Mass Transit in 2018 and 40 under 40 Young Government Leaders. She is currently a Director for the JPS Foundation at JPS Health Network.

Uchenna Akujuo has over 20 years of diverse real estate investment, development, and asset management experience, spanning hospitality, retail, mixed-use, and multi-family property types. He currently serves as the Director of International Development and Finance at Simon Property Group (SPG), the largest publicly traded retail real estate investment trust. Prior to joining Simon Property Group, Mr. Akujuo worked for Asset & Resource Management Co., a leading asset management and investment firm located in Lagos, Nigeria, with over US$1 billion in funds under management. In addition, Mr. Akujuo worked at Deloitte Consulting, where he led teams on a variety of projects with real estate clients. He also spent part of his career between the Investment Banking Group of UBS and the Equities Division at Morgan Stanley. Mr. Akujuo holds a Global MBA from Columbia Business School and a BBA from Baruch College.

A businessman and leading cybersecurity thought leader, Wael Mohamed is the driving force behind the success of numerous emerging technology leaders, including one of the world’s top five cybersecurity companies. With a unique combination of cybersecurity, digital transformation, and executive leadership expertise, he brings 30 years of experience as a go-to advisor for both boards and executives. Currently, Mr. Mohamed serves as the Chairman of the Board at Cysiv, an industry-leading SOC SaaS company.