CIVIL SOCEITY AND 'SDGs' PROFILE OF DR. UZODINMA ADIRIEJE

 

Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje

Global Health and Dev’t Projects Consultant | Conferences Organizer | Trainer| Facilitator | Researcher | M&E Expert | Civil Society Leader | Policy Advocate

📞 +2348034725905/✉️ druzoadirieje2015@gmail.com/🟢 +2347015530362/🌐 https://druzodinmadirieje.blogspot.com

 

Profile of Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje on Civil Society and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje is a distinguished Nigerian health economist, projects consultant, evaluator, and civil society leader with over two decades of service at the interface of health, sustainable development, climate change, community engagements, and governance. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA), a global CSO network with over 3,000 organizations in 121 countries, with more than 45,000 members in its Google Group. He’s the pioneer National Chairman of the Civil Society Organizations Strategy Group on Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria (CSOSG-SDGs Nigeria), the largest national CSO coalition on SDGs in Nigeria, representing over 80,000 groups; and National Coordinator, Civil Society Partnership on SDGs in Nigeria (CSP-SDGs Nigeria). He also chairs the Global Civil Society Consortium on Climate Change and Conference of Parties (GCSCCC); and leads other regional and global civil society platforms. Dr. Adirieje is a multifaceted civil society leader whose extensive contributions span evaluation policy, SDG implementation, community-driven development, and global advocacy. From shaping national evaluation frameworks to steering civil society’s voice in global climate and health discourse, his career exemplifies actionable leadership toward sustainable development. Dr. Adirieje is a pioneer of SDG evaluation in Nigeria and a bridge between government, civil society, and the UN HLPF process. His work ensures that SDG progress in Nigeria and Africa is not only measured, but also inclusive, transparent, and evidence-driven.

 

CSOs and SDGs Engagements, Leadership Roles, Projects Delivered, Partnerships Promoted, Consultancies

 

1. Health Economist and Evaluation Expert: Dr. Adirieje is a highly experienced independent Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) consultant, celebrated for over two decades of managing and evaluating development projects, policies, and interventions that drive accountability, transparency, and SDG-related outcomes.

 

2. Organizational Leadership:

a. CEO and Permanent Representative to the UN, Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA) — a global CSO network and think-tank, with over 3,000 member organizations across 106 countries.

b. President, Society for Conservation and Sustainability of Energy and Environment in Nigeria (SOCSEEN).

c. National Chairman, CSOSG-SDGs Nigeria, 2019 - 2024 — representing over 80,000 Nigerian CSOs.

d. Chairperson, Global Civil Society Consortium on Climate Change and UNFCCC COPs (GCSCCC); January 2024.

e. Pioneer Chairman and Technical Working Group Lead, Nigerian Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (NiPBES), co-organizer with UNESCO of a science advice initiative during COVID-19.

f. Coordinator, Civil Society Actions for Climate, Energy and Biodiversity (CiSACEB) at AHOA.

g. Founder and Coordinator, DEWVY Project (Disability, Elderly, Women, Vulnerable and Youth);

h. Initiator of the After50 Group Club; and  

i. President, African Network of Civil Society Organizations (ANCSO).

 

3. SDG and Evaluation Projects and Contributions

a. National SDG Leadership:

i. Co-drafted Nigeria’s M&E Policy, approved by the government.

ii. Developed SDG-3 (Health) Evaluation Synthesis, and played key roles in national evaluations of SDGs 3 & 4.

ii. Chaired the Civil Society Response team for Nigeria’s 2020 Voluntary National Review (VNR); also part of National Core VNR Working Group.

iv. Served on the National Technical Working Group on M&E; and

v. Consulted in evaluation of Nigeria's National Social Investment Programmme (NSIP) 2016–2022.

 

4. Projects and Campaigns:

a. Led the Sustainable Citizen Participation (SCP) project (2017–2018) in the Niger Delta, funded by UNDEF — reaching 81 LGAs/communities across 9 states.

i. Achieved a 78% completion rate against 60% expectation/target, exceeded targets, and empowered communities through ownership and stakeholder-driven development.

b. Supervised the Global Fund Malaria Matchbox Nigeria Project (2020–2021) in conflict–ridden North East.

c. Recognition and Capacity Building:

i. Received the 2022 Recognition Award by the International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation (IOCE) for his enduring contributions.

ii. Earned a certificate from the 7th International Conference on National Evaluation Capacities (NEC 2022) held by UNDP/GEI in Turin.

iii. Selected among eight Africans for the inaugural IOCE Boot Camp in 2022.

 

5. Additional Expertise and Presence

a. Evaluator Credentials:

i. Served as National President of the Nigerian Association of Evaluators (NAE) and is a respected Fellow.

ii. Consultant to multiple national and international bodies such as the Federal Ministries of Health (FMOH), and Humanitarian Affairs, OSSAP-SDGs/Presidency, UNICEF, GAVI, NACA, Global Fund, CCM, NPHCDA, World Bank.

iii. Provided capacity-building in M&E across Nigeria, for governments, EU/EC, NGOs, and civil society.

b. Advocacy, Writing, and Blogging:

i. A vocal One-Health, gender, climate, biodiversity, community-ownership, and human rights advocate, with a background in health systems strengthening (HSS) and community systems strengthening (CSS)

ii. Authored two publications on female genital mutilation and nutrition, catalogued by Johns Hopkins University.

c. Sustainable Development Programmes:

i. Leading AHOA’s "Destination 2030 SDGs Programme", aimed at deepening accountability and engagement in the SDGs ahead of the 2030 deadline.

ii. AHOA holds a consultative status with UN ECOSOC and is an accredited observer at UNEP/UNEA. Its application to UNFCCC is pending.

 

6. Contributions to SDG Evaluation

a. Pioneer in National SDG Evaluation:

i. Wrote Nigeria’s first-ever SDG 3 (Health) Synthesis Report, providing evidence-based insights into progress and challenges.

ii. Actively participated in national evaluations of SDGs 3 and 4 (Health and Education), ensuring that findings informed government policy, donor programmes, and civil society advocacy.

b. Policy Contributions:

i. Co-authored Nigeria’s National M&E Policy, later adopted by government, embedding Evaluations into national accountability systems.

ii. Served as a member of the National Technical Working Group on M&E, providing expert guidance on integrating SDGs into Nigeria’s development frameworks.

c. Capacity Development:

i. Trained CSOs, government officials, Communities, and private sector on SDG evaluation methodologies, participatory monitoring, and evidence use.

ii. Recognized by the International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation (IOCE) with a 2022 award for his role in advancing national evaluation capacity in Nigeria and Africa.

 

7. Engagement in Nigeria’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) Processes

a. Voluntary National Review (VNR) Leadership:

i. Led/chaired the Civil Society Response activities for Nigeria’s 2020 Voluntary National Review (VNR) presented at the UN HLPF. Under his leadership, civil society prepared an independent Citizen’s Report, highlighting gaps between government-reported progress and realities on the ground.

ii. Member of the National Core Working Group on VNRs, contributing evidence and recommendations for Nigeria’s official HLPF submissions, 2020 – present

iii. Member, Malaria Technical Working Group, FMOH/NMEP Nigeria

iv. Chairman, national World Malaria Day Committee, Nigeria, 2019

v. Lead, Resource Mobilizations, national World Tuberculosis Day, Nigeria, 2025

b. Civil Society Mobilization:

i. Coordinated CSOs nationwide to generate data, case studies, and community voices that fed into Nigeria’s VNRs, ensuring inclusion of marginalized groups.

ii. Advocated for transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s SDG reporting, strengthening civil society’s role in shaping HLPF dialogues and outcomes.

c. Global Representation:

i. Represented Nigerian and African civil society at UNFCCC COPs and HLPF side-events, speaking on issues of health, climate, gender, biodiversity, indigenous peoples, marginalized groups, and community resilience.

ii. Through AHOA’s consultative status with UN ECOSOC, facilitated CSO participation in HLPF debates, reinforcing Africa’s voice in global SDG accountability.

 

8. Summary of Impact

a. Institutionalized SDG Evaluation: Helped position Nigeria as one of the few African countries with a formal national SDG evaluation synthesis.

b. Strengthened Civil Society Voice: Ensured that grassroots perspectives featured in Nigeria’s VNRs at the HLPF.

c. Global Thought Leadership: Linked local evidence to international SDG platforms, showcasing Nigeria’s civil society as a key accountability partner.

 

Summary Table

Area	Role and Contribution
Leadership	CEO of AHOA; former Chair of CSOSG-SDGs Nigeria; Chair of GCSCCC; President of SOCSEEN and ANCSO; National Coordinator of CSP-SDGs Nigeria
SDG Policy and Evaluation	Consultant that drafted Nigeria’s M&E Policy; led SDG-3 evaluation; Consultant that wrote Nigeria’s SDG3 Synthesis; facilitated Nigeria CSOs VNR engagement for HLPF
Development Projects	Directed SCP Nigeria; managed malaria evaluation; NSIP Evaluation consultant
Recognition and Training	IOCE awardee; NEC certificate; IOCE Boot Camp participant
Consultancy and Capacity	National evaluator; consultant to global agencies; M&E trainer across sectors
Advocacy and Publications	Author, columnist, One Health and biodiversity advocate
Global Engagement	AHOA leadership in UN forums; Destination 2030 SDG programme facilitator