Amb. Dexter Kingsley Godwin
With experience spanning over 8 years, Dexter Kingsley Godwin has proven experience and expertise ininternational development, nonprofit management,civic engagement, business and human capital development. He is the Founder of World Impact Development Foundation and Director of Seal Resource Firm and Regional Program officer of the West Africa Civil Society Forum.
He has earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies Education from University of Abuja, Nigeria. He is a Certified Management Consultant, a fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants; fellow of the African Change Makers Fellowship and a fellow of the Young African Leaders Initiative, West Africa Regional Leadership Center.
He is certified in the Santa Clara University, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship "Building a Business Course", certified in the USAID, Leadership, Management and Governance Project. He is also certified in Strategic Planning, Customer Service and Introduction to Human Resource by Small Business Administration (SBA) USA, among others.
Concerned about the absence of accountability and transparency in governance at all levels; which among others have contributed to the challenge of Good governance in Nigeria; In November 2014, Dexter co-founded World Impact Development Foundation, a non-profit organization working on ending poverty and advocating for good governance.
Driven by a strong passion and commitment to end poverty in rural communities, he organized and coordinated the Rural Entrepreneurship and Skills Acquisition (RESA) Project which have benefited and helped hundreds of women and youth in IDP’s camps to gain knowledge on entrepreneurship, practical vocational skills and agriculture.
From 2015 to 2016, he led a team of volunteers in organizing and mobilizing resources and funds via social media crowd funding for the Love Mile Project and Quest for Survival Project through which they administered food and healthcare services to closely 500 internally displaced persons.
He is also the team lead and convener of the Social Impact Leaders’ Summit, a convergence of key influencers and multi-stakeholders working on achieving the SDGs and particularly ending poverty in Nigeria in collaboration with UN Women, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Nigeria Directorate of Employment (NDE) and other national and community-based NGOs.
Dexter also coordinated the policy advocacy and engagement with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Trade and Investment, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Bank of Industry and others on their policy and project implementation.
Currently, Dexter is engaged as the Regional Program Officer of the West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF)- an umbrella network of Civil Society Organizations complimenting ECOWAS effort at regional integration, stability and development of West Africa.
At WACSOF, among other programs, Dexter manages the European Commission funded project on Mobilizing Civil Society for the implementation of the African Governance Architecture and African Charter on Democracy, Election and Governance. This project has given him a unique platform and opportunity to work with civil society organizations at a regional level to demand for accountability and transparency in democracy, election and governance.
From August 2017 to 2018, he served as an executive of the Young African Leaders Initiative. In October 2018, he became a member of the World Economic Forum, Global Shapers Hub Abuja. Through these young professionals’ networks, he has continued to play an active role in contributing to policy advocacy for good governance as well actively involved in carrying out community development and charity projects such as the Women Economic Empowerment Project (WEEP), Renovation of the Kuje School for the Deaf and Dumb, Give a Gift and several others.
As the Director of Seal Resource Firm, Dexter’s has a proven track record and achievement in and entrepreneurship and SMEs development. Among several projects, he has successful organized several series of the Business Strategy Masterclass; one of which was in collaboration with Digital Media Development Initiative (DMDI), successfully organized the Business Growth and Management Workshop in collaboration with Idon Mosei Signature Consult and BAI limited UK.
He facilitated the Work-Life Balance Training for Centre for Character and Leadership Development (CCLD), facilitated the one-week intensive Entrepreneurship, Skills Acquisition and Community Empowerment training for Youth and Women of Opobo community, Rivers State in collaboration with Theodore Ibiwari-Fubara Foundation and YILLE.
He also serves as a mentor for Stylemark Pro Enterprise SME Springboard, Teens Guide Network, Takeover Generation, 400 Heroes Nation Project, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and several other initiatives where he leverages on his experience to mentor and raise other young ethical leaders as social innovators and social entrepreneurs; empowering them to make social impact in rural and urban communities.
Dexter has been recognized by the Young World Leaders for Humanity Foundation as a Young World Leader in March 2018. He has also been honoured as a recipient of the Nigeria Unity Merit Awards for commitment to nation building in March 2017, nominated for the I AM Nigeria Initiative Community Service Award in April 2017, honoured by the Inner-City Mission for Children as an Ambassador of the End Child Poverty Now Campaign and honoured as a National Ambassador and recipient of the World Affirmative Action Award (WAFAA) for advocacy and promotion of Women’s rights in March 2016.
Dexter is passionate about ending extreme poverty, empowering youth, women and children in impoverished rural communities, through education, entrepreneurship and advocacy for good governance and better policies. In the future, he hopes to contribute to poverty alleviation policy formulation in Nigeria either in an advisory capacity or as a minister or head of a government department or agency where he can directly influence and implement public policies that fosters improved social welfare and livelihoods, access to quality education and job creation.
