Speaker details

Biography

Leonard Otuonye Ugbajah was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2005. He took an interest in competition law as a final-year student and wrote a seminal long essay on the first competition bill prepared by the Government of Nigeria in 2001. Leonard spent the early days of his career working in law firms but soon transitioned to the world of international development consulting. He routinely consults on projects funded by international development agencies such as GIZ, the European Commission, DFID(FCDO), UNIDO, etc on issues relating to competition law reforms, international trade and regional integration, and business/regulatory environment reforms. Leonard was at the frontlines in the advocacy towards the enactment of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 (FCCPA). As a consultant on the process, he drafted additional provisions as well as redrafted parts of the original bill. He also led stakeholders’ consultations towards harmonising the positions of various stakeholders on the Bill. Leonard has continued to provide capacity-building support to the FCCPC and CCPT in the implementation of the FCCPA. Leonard holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in Competition Law and a Postgraduate Diploma in International Business Law both from the University of London and a Masters’ degree in International Affairs and Strategic Studies (with a focus on the role of power politics in international trade relations). He is the Founder and Executive Director of the Centre for Trade and Business Environment Advocacy (CTBA) as well as the Principal Consultant at TBE Advisory Ltd both based in Abuja, Nigeria. Leonard is motivated by the desire to make markets work for development.