The Team

Ben Arikpo

Ben Arikpo, the Master Trainer, is a Sociologist by training, specialising in organisation development, HR management, business coaching and mentoring. He has over 25 years of experience working across Southern, East and West Africa as well as Europe and the Americas.

Initially lecturing in Sociology at the University of Calabar for 6 years, he left to join a Canadian international development organization (CUSO) as project manager for Primary Healthcare for 7 years.

This led to an appointment in the core international consultancy team where he first developed his organization development skills as professional practice. In 1995, he joined the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and formally trained in Organization Development Consulting sponsored by Germany Technical Cooperation. This work brought him into contact with many colleagues in Germany with whom he has developed partnerships and collaborative enterprises ranging from training of consultants in systemic organization development, training of business and executive coaches and 'Mentors in Africa', diversity and multicultural team management. Some of his most successful interventions were subsequently in the development of collaborative teams between an America and Nigerian Partner for the implementation of a national HIV/AIDS multi-million dollar programme.

From 1997, he increasingly switched his focus to the commercial and corporate sectors and worked both as a staff member and eventually consultant to Shell Group in Port Harcourt, where he was responsible for the designing and piloting a sustainable community development project with national and international staff, building effective teams to implement the new projects.

In 1999, he established his own consultancy practice based in Lagos in HR and organizational development specializing in the development of multi-cultural project teams, implementation of change management strategies in projects, cross cultural development, training needs assessment techniques, development of performance improvement and appraisal systems and stakeholder consultations in all phases of the project cycle. He has also mentored new project managers and coached leaders of leading organizations in Nigeria.

Recent assignments have included organizational and restructuring the National Agency for Food and Drug Control (NAFDAC); the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) the Jigawa State House of Assembly Committees' chairman and secretaries to promote efficiency and effectiveness in executing their roles and responsibilities; design and delivery of training in team building, human resources management, review of organizational structure, job descriptions & performance appraisal systems for Benue, Cross River, Enugu and Kaduna State SACAs; provision of mentoring and coaching services to micro, small and medium enterprises as part of the World Bank Grant under the MSME Project; training of micro, small and medium enterprises on accounting and inventory management for the World Bank and training of consultants from South Africa, Nigeria and Senegal on Managing Transformation and Diversity through Systemic Organization Development which included a 4 module training programme offered in Nigeria and South Africa along with partners in Germany.

He is also currently the Vice President of the International Organization Development Association based in the US. Ben is a certified PM 360 Degree Consultant/Trainer, Certified Business/Executive Coach and Mentor, Certified Consultant/Trainer in Systemic Organization Development Consultancy; Certified Project Cycle Management Consultant/trainer, Facilitator and moderator of large scale events and projects.

Ben took his BSc in sociology going on to gain his MSc in demography followed by a further MSc in industrial sociology all at the University of Calabar in Nigeria. He speaks English fluently, as well as Pidgin and the three Nigerian languages of Igbo, Efik and Ibibio.

He lives in Lagos with his wife and children. Amongst his interests are reading, travelling and helping people meet their life goals.