Dara Akala

Dara Akala was the Executive Director of PIND from 2016 before retiring in 2021.

Prior to PIND, he worked with Living Earth Foundation (LEF), United Kingdom where he provided support to African programs and established the Nigerian affiliate of LEF, the EC/FGN funded micro projects program in three states (MPP3) of the Niger Delta. He was also a Program Manager at TechnoServe/Nigeria, and was responsible for managing a program of assistance to increase the productivity and income of agribusinesses in the Nigeria’s southern region, as well as providing capacity building assistance to Community Development Associations. His work at the Agricultural & Rural Management Training Institute and the Benin-Owena River Basin Development Authority involved leveraging funding from bilateral and multilateral development assistance agencies.

A seasoned socio-economist with over 30 years’ multi-layered professional experience across national, regional and private voluntary institutions within the agricultural and rural sectors of Nigeria, Mr. Akala has deep knowledge of agricultural policies and programs in Nigeria. His expertise spans the interrelated fields of governance, poverty reduction and sustainable development.

He is a flexible and resourceful team player with a passion for creating and nurturing tri-sector partnerships between government, business, and civil society to foster sustainable development initiatives.