President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Ayodeji Ariyo Gbeleyi as the new Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).
The Statehouse Office in Abuja issued this announcement through an official press release today.
This appointment marks a critical step in the administration’s ongoing efforts to foster a competitive, private sector-driven economy.
The appointment
Mr. Gbeleyi brings experience to his new role, having established himself as a financial expert and an award-winning chartered accountant.
His professional credentials include fellowships at both the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN).
- His academic and executive training spans globally recognized institutions, including the London Business School, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and Lagos Business School.
- With over 30 years of post-qualification experience, Mr. Gbeleyi’s career encompasses a wide range of sectors such as manufacturing, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), investment and commercial banking, project finance, telecommunications, infrastructure, and public administration.
- His previous roles include serving as the Board Chairman of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and as the Commissioner of Finance in Lagos State from 2013 to 2015.
The President expressed his confidence in Mr. Gbeleyi’s ability to leverage his extensive expertise to enhance the Bureau’s functions.
He anticipates that Gbeleyi’s leadership will bolster the BPE’s role as a national resource centre for capacity building and sustaining reforms.
This includes promoting a competitive private sector, ensuring social accountability, efficiently deploying public resources, and advancing corporate governance and fiduciary discipline in both the public and private sectors.
What you should know
The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) is an agency in Nigeria’s economic landscape. Established under the Public Enterprises (Privatization and Commercialization) Act of 1999, the BPE is tasked with the implementation of policies and programs related to the privatization and commercialization of public enterprises.
The core functions of the BPE include:
- Facilitating the sale of government-owned enterprises to private investors to enhance efficiency and productivity.
- Restructuring public enterprises to operate as profit-oriented, commercially viable entities.
- Promoting and implementing sectoral reforms to create a conducive environment for private sector growth.
- Providing technical and managerial advisory services to the government on matters relating to privatization and commercialization.
- Enhancing the skills and knowledge of stakeholders involved in the reform process.
Since its inception, the BPE has played a critical role in transitioning several key sectors from public to private management, thereby fostering improved service delivery and economic growth.
The agency is also responsible for ensuring that privatized enterprises continue to adhere to agreed-upon terms and maintain standards that contribute to the overall economic development of the country.