RAYMOND ADAGYE DANGANA
Trade & Private Sector Expert
Haile Selasie Street,Asokoro
Summary
Results-driven Trade and Private Sector Development Specialist with over 20 years of experience across public sector institutions, international development programmes, and private sector–focused initiatives. Demonstrates strong leadership, analytical capabilities, and proven success in managing regional trade projects, strengthening value chains, enhancing business-enabling environments, and supporting policy and institutional reforms across West Africa. Skilled in facilitating multi-stakeholder engagement, improving cross-border trade, and supporting SMEs, private sector organizations, and government agencies to meet regional and international trade standards.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
Work History
Trade/ Private sector Adviser
Support to ECOWAS Commission On TFA/AfCFTA
01.2016 - Current
- Responsible for implementing trade project with the fifteen-member states in the Region.
- Facilitated engagement with regional private sector groups (Chambers of Commerce, Borderless Alliance, traders’ associations, and CSOs) to identify and address constraints to regional movement of goods and persons.
- Led sensitization campaigns to educate Organized Private Sector actors on their rights, obligations, and opportunities under ECOWAS trade rules, the AfCFTA, and the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).
- Co-developed the ECOWAS trade data portal (ecowastat) in partnership with UNECA.
- Strengthened advocacy capacity of private sector groups and CSOs to engage with Trade Facilitation agencies and address non-tariff barriers.
- Created materials to protect and empower women traders under the TFA.
- Designed border procedure instruments for small-scale and perishable goods traders.
- Developed and delivered training programmes for private sector actors, journalists, and CSOs on the TFA, AfCFTA protocols, and related regional arrangements.
- Designed a Trade Facilitation Agreement project with the Global Alliance to improve Nigeria’s Ease of Doing Business and Logistics Performance ranking.
- Produced export-readiness and trade-guidance materials for SMEs under ECOWAS and AfCFTA frameworks.
- Led budgeting and reporting for Private Sector Unit 3.3; represented GIZ-TFWA at donor coordination forums.
- Supported ECOWAS Commission Directorates (Trade, Customs, Private Sector, Taxation) in TFA and AfCFTA implementation.
- Provided technical assistance to Nigeria’s AfCFTA Implementation Agencies, including under the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI).
Trade and Private Sector Advisor
Strengthen Nigeria Trade Support Institution Programme
01.2009 - 01.2016
- Responsibilities include establishing and monitoring the implementation of regional trade projects with emphasis on Nigerian.
- Developed specific products along two value chains namely, potato and cassava to add-value to the products. Worked with various agencies including Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), NAFDAC and Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to ensure that the products meet regional and international standards for export.
- Worked with UNIDO to ensure the usage of the testing centre for the products that meet export standard.
- Established a system known as the Trade Route Incident Mapping System (TRIMS) that addresses reporting of the non-tariff barrier experienced by trader, which hinders the movement of goods.
- Assisted with the preparation of the Nigeria Offensive and Defensive trade position during the delegation’s participation at the WTO 9th Ministerial Conference held in Bali in 2013 and 10th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya. (Categorisation of Nigeria Trade Facilitation Commitment
- Organised trade promotion and sensitisation activities towards understanding various trade policies and public-private stakeholder dialogue events. Some examples include ETLS Sensitisation Workshops; CET Sensitisation Workshops, and ETLS registration constraints.
- Conducted several sensitization/capacity building programmes for members of the OPS; topics included the impact on the WTO on the private sector, the understanding of the Common External Tariff, and understanding the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with ECOWAS and the Nigeria interest.
- Promoted market access for producers under the GIZ-SEDIN cassava, potato and shea-butter value chain projects in Ogun, Plateau and Niger States respectively. Specific areas of intervention include linking producers to international markets through the organisation of trade fairs.
- Worked with all the relevant agencies such as the Ministry of trade, the Nigeria Export promotion council, and the Custom Agency to ensure the procedures of export and imports, payments of fees are simplified, transparent and make public for the understanding of the private sector.
Local Economic Development Adviser
GIZ-SEDIN
01.2006 - 01.2009
- Responsibilities include increasing income and generating employment for organizations in the private sector through enabling the business environment.
- Improved Nigeria ranking based on the World Bank doing business index by reducing the process of registration and documentations required for business registration as well as setting the one-stop shop investment centers for business registration in Niger and Plateau States.
- Facilitated and coordinated policy dialogues between the State and the Local Governments and between the Business Membership Organization, Civil Societies and other relevant stakeholders to reduce the number of businesses constraints.
- Drew up measures that will support the Business Membership Organization (BMOs) in conducting research for evidence-based advocacy.
- Worked with various government agencies to simplify the registration process and documents for company registration or land registration.
- Coordinated and facilitated regular policy dialogue with local and State government officials towards creating a strategic plan for the local and state government.
- Coordinated and supported the overall delivery of GIZ—Employment oriented Private Sector Development (EoPSD) Program field activities in an effective, efficient and results-oriented manner, ensuring that objectives and targets are regularly met, adequate inputs are provided, agreed procedures are followed and that outputs are produced in a timely fashion
Skills Development & Training Manager
GIZ-EoPSD Program
01.2004 - 01.2006
- Duties included conducting value chain analysis that addresses the skills gaps for selected Agricultural and non-Agricultural (construction) sector and developing training intervention that meets the capacity requirement of the Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprise who were the end beneficiary of the EoPSD programme.
- Implemented intervention programmes aimed at improving the technical vocational education sector by ensuring that the informal training conducted is regularized to align with the formal education for quality assurance and certification and developed curriculum for training in the informal sector for mechanical training of apprentices
- Contributed to the strategy for the development of private sector under the EoPSD programme with the focus on the Micro Small and Medium Enterprise. Key areas of intervention are access to finance, business-enabling environment, business development services and skill development and training.
- Coordinated and supervised the introduction and implementation of Competency-based Formation of Enterprises Project (CEFE) for Entrepreneurship training in selected higher institutions in Niger and Nasarawa States.
Management Development Officer 1&2
Center for Management Development (CMD)
01.1998 - 01.2004
- Responsible for the organization of training from carrying out needs assessment, implementation of the training and evaluation of the training to the development of new training modules on management related topics such as Team Building, Conflict Management, Total Quality Management.
- Conducted specific job analysis towards the design of training program.
- Conducted several management training modules such as mediation, moderation and conflict management modules.
- Developed standard modules for training program, as well as worked as part of the in-house support team to document in details the proceedings and papers presented at each training program while ensuring synergy amongst the various departments to coordinate the training programmes.
- CMD is a resource institution of the National Planning Commission tasked with the responsibilities of stimulating and promoting the growth of management education, training, research and consultancy in Nigeria
Education
MA Development Studies -
University of East Anglia
Norwich, UK01.2009
MBA Management - undefined
University of Nigeria
Nsukka01.2002
BSc Economics - undefined
Obafemi Awolowo University
01.1996
Skills
- Proficient use of Microsoft Office (Excel, Words, Outlook, Power Point)
- Negotiation Skills
- Value Chain Analysis
- Conflict Management and Mediation
Timeline
Trade/ Private sector Adviser
Support to ECOWAS Commission On TFA/AfCFTA
01.2016 - Current
Trade and Private Sector Advisor
Strengthen Nigeria Trade Support Institution Programme
01.2009 - 01.2016
Local Economic Development Adviser
GIZ-SEDIN
01.2006 - 01.2009
Skills Development & Training Manager
GIZ-EoPSD Program
01.2004 - 01.2006
Management Development Officer 1&2
Center for Management Development (CMD)
01.1998 - 01.2004
MBA Management - undefined
University of Nigeria
BSc Economics - undefined
Obafemi Awolowo University
MA Development Studies -
University of East Anglia
COURSES ATTENDED
- Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) in Southern & Eastern Africa: ComMark Trust, South Africa. 2007
- Agribusiness Value Chain Analysis. GTZ-EOPSD Programme. 2006.
- Moderation and Mediation for Conflict Resolution in Rural Areas. Deutche Stiftung Fur Internationale Entwicklung(DSE) Germany 2001
- Design for Impact: Result measurement guidelines for Donor Committee for Enterprises Development, Abuja, 2010.
- Working with Stakeholder Dialogues: Potsdam- Germany, June 29th – July 2nd 2010
- Capacity Constraints to Africa’s Small and Medium Enterprises, Lagos, Africa Development Bank Training Institution,15th – 17th December 2010
- Managing the border: Trade Cost, Customs Reforms and Trade Facilitation: World Trade Institute Bern- 30th July – 3rd August, 2012
- The Law, Economics and Politics of Preferential Trade Agreements: World Trade Institute Bern- 5th – 10th August, 2012.
- Rules of Origin- European University Institute Florence Italy- 1st -3rd March 2016.