Zulum appoints Kori as investment Adviser

2026-03-06 - 09:36

In a move that has sent ripples through Nigeria’s investment community, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has appointed Dr Sa’id Alkali Kori as his Chief Investment Adviser and Pioneer Chairman of the Borno State Investment Promotion Agency Governing Board, bringing on board one of the country’s most accomplished infrastructure finance experts at a critical juncture in the state’s reconstruction journey. The appointment, formalised following the enactment of the Borno State Investment Promotion Agency (Amendment No. 1) Law, 2026, places Dr Kori at the strategic intersection of policy and capital, tasking him with translating the state’s economic ambitions into bankable realities. Dr Sa’id Alkali Kori’s trajectory reads like a carefully constructed blueprint for the role he now assumes, born and educated across three continents, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the Federal University of Technology, Yola, before proceeding to the United Kingdom where he obtained a Master’s degree in Digital Construction from the University of Salford and later a Doctorate in Built Environment with specialisation in Innovation Economics from the prestigious University of Liverpool. This unique academic foundation, blending technical architectural expertise with high-level economic analysis, has proven instrumental in his ability to conceive, structure, and execute complex infrastructure projects that bridge the gap between physical development and financial viability. As Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Thinklab Group Limited, Dr Kori has overseen the structuring of over $200 million in infrastructure financing across critical sectors including housing, healthcare, and road networks, with the firm establishing itself as a major player in development finance across Nigeria and other African markets. Before founding Thinklab, he served as General Manager of Projects at Family Homes Funds Limited, a federal government initiative focused on affordable housing delivery, where he negotiated over $100 million in multilateral financing and delivered more than 15,000 housing units through innovative public-private partnership models deployed across the nation. This experience in marrying social impact with commercial sustainability is directly relevant to Borno’s pressing need for mass housing reconstruction. Beyond his corporate roles, Dr Kori has steadily built a reputation as a regional development strategist, currently serving as Honorary Special Adviser on International Relations and Investment to the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, and as Technical Adviser to the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum, a multilateral platform comprising governors from Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger addressing regional stability and development challenges. His appointment to these roles was described by the Yobe State Government as recognition of his past records of performance, dedication, and personal commitment to the development of the state, with his vast international network and proven leadership expected to significantly enhance engagement with multilateral partners and accelerate progress across the Lake Chad Basin. In August 2025, Governor Buni further appointed Dr Kori as Chairman of the Nigeria Food Corporation, a strategic holding company overseeing six major agro-industrial subsidiaries including Nguru Oil Mills Limited, Yobe Flour and Feeds Mills Company Limited, Wheat Flour Global Mills Company Limited, Yobe State Fertiliser Blending Company, and Damaturu Modern Abattoir, placing him at the helm of efforts to transform the region’s agricultural value chain, a sector of immense importance to Borno’s economic future. Dr Kori’s professional footprint spans 34 countries across multiple continents, providing him with exposure to diverse development models, financing mechanisms, and investment frameworks, and he has lectured at the University of Liverpool and Yobe State University, bringing academic rigour to his practical experience, while holding board positions with multinational corporations including BIM Africa and Fulus Capital. Yet despite this global profile, those who know him emphasise his deep commitment to the Northeast region, with his investments in the Maiduguri Economic City, the Teachers Village project, and the Bakassi GRA rehabilitation demonstrating a personal stake in Borno’s prosperity that extends beyond any official appointment. The timing of Dr Kori’s appointment is significant, as Borno State stands at a crossroads with the relative stability achieved under Governor Zulum’s administration creating an opportunity to pivot from humanitarian relief to sustainable economic development, with the challenge lying in attracting the private capital required to finance this transition. Dr Kori’s expertise in blended finance, the strategic combination of development finance, commercial capital, and public resources, provides a toolkit perfectly suited to this moment, with his experience structuring Sukuk bonds, negotiating with development finance institutions, and designing PPP frameworks giving Borno access to financing mechanisms that remain unfamiliar to many sub-national governments. The industry has taken note of his contributions, with Dr Kori receiving the African Construction Personality of the Year 2024 award, recognising his impact at the nexus of development strategy, investment finance, and execution, while Thinklab Group has also garnered multiple corporate excellence honours under his leadership, underscoring the institutional credibility he brings to his new role. Under the new law, Dr Kori will chair a governing board that includes representatives from ten key ministries and agencies including Commerce, Trade and Industries, Borno State Geographic Information Service, Works, Housing and Energy, Justice, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Livestock, Planning, Finance, and Local Government and Emirate Affairs, each represented by an official not below the rank of director serving as an ex-officio member. The board also includes three representatives from the state’s three senatorial zones with one seat reserved for a woman, and two representatives from the organised private sector, while the Director-General of BOIPA will serve as secretary to the board. Dr Kori’s appointment has been welcomed across the political and business spectrum, with stakeholders expressing confidence that his combination of technical expertise, regional knowledge, and international networks positions him to make a meaningful impact, though the challenges are undeniable with infrastructure deficits remaining vast, investor confidence requiring sustained nurturing, and the security environment, while improved, remaining fragile. Those who have worked with him point to his methodical approach, his fluency in the language of investors, and his demonstrated ability to move projects from conception to completion as reasons for optimism, with his experience delivering over 15,000 housing units nationally suggesting he understands that in development, execution matters as much as strategy. For the people of Borno, the promise is straightforward: a chief investment adviser who understands that the ultimate measure of success is not the value of memoranda signed, but the jobs created for youth, the businesses empowered for women, and the prosperity that reaches every community, and for the investment community, the message is equally clear: Borno is open for business, and it has placed one of its most accomplished sons at the controls of its investment engine.