• CERAWEEK 2025 | March 10-14, 2025
  • CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

Olu Verheijen

Office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Special Adviser on Energy to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Mrs. Olubukola Arowolo Verheijen is the Special Adviser to the Nigerian President on Energy. She is a member of Advisory Board of Energy for Growth, a Washington D.C. based organization focused on research and advocacy to end energy poverty in Africa. She is the founding Managing Director of Latimer Energy, an advisory firm specializing in business strategy, market development, and commercial negotiations for capital projects and investments in the energy sector. She has over 20 years of business development, investment, operational, public policy, and general management e experience in the oil, gas and renewables sectors across Sub-Saharan Africa with international companies. Mrs. Verheijen serves on the Advisory Council of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a US agency that has invested over $14 billion in developing countries worldwide. She previously held various commercial, finance, and governance roles at Shell. She negotiated transactions valued at over $5 billion and advised on government policies to attract investment to the gas sector and enhance liquidity in the power sector. She also was a Partner and Chair of the Investment Committee at Persistent, a climate-focused investment firm, where she managed a pan-African portfolio of distributed renewables companies. She led the firm's investment in Daystar Power, which is the leading provider of renewable energy solutions for commercial and industrial customers in West Africa. Daystar was later acquired by Shell, marking its first acquisition of a power company on the continent. Ms. Verheijen is passionate about development in Africa and a strong advocate for diversity. She writes and speaks on issues relating to the intersection of energy and economic growth on the continent. She is also the Founder of BFA Foundation, which funds scholarships for women and other disadvantaged groups to expand their career advancement opportunities in high-growth sectors, including the energy sector. Ms. Verheijen has a BA (Magna Cum Laude) from Long Island University and Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Sessions With Olu Verheijen

Wednesday, 20 March

  • 10:00am - 10:30am (CST) / 20/mar/2024 03:00 pm - 20/mar/2024 03:30 pm

    Energizing Tomorrow: Charting a successful path for Africa's energy transition
    Climate & Sustainability

    The path to energy transition in Africa looks very different than in the developed world. We will discuss what a successful energy transition means for Africa. We will also explore the role technology, finance, and collaboration have in making that vision a reality.

  • 12:00pm - 12:50pm (CST) / 20/mar/2024 05:00 pm - 20/mar/2024 05:50 pm

    Developing Resources that Support a Just Transition
    Upstream Oil & Gas

    Companies working in the Global South face the significant challenge of developing domestic resources to meet growing needs for affordable and accessible energy in a world that is pressing to decarbonize the global energy system. This raises challenges to accessing the international financing, partnerships, technology and support often needed to successfully execute projects.How is this impacting developing countries’ ability to develop their oil & gas resources and generate income for economic development? What alternative investment models could help ensure a “just” transition? Can international partnerships broaden from fossil fuels to include mineral resources for the energy transition or toward renewables? 

  • 02:30pm - 03:10pm (CST) / 20/mar/2024 07:30 pm - 20/mar/2024 08:10 pm

    Strategic Roundtable | Rethinking Energy and Climate Scenarios?

    Long-term scenarios for global energy demand, energy supply and GHG emissions provide important tools for policymakers, companies and investors alike. While scenarios have been used since the 1970s, their role has never been more critical, or more contentious. And the variations across scenarios have never been more pronounced due to major uncertainties in future climate policy actions and the pace of clean energy technology development and deployment. Furthermore, fault lines in the global consensus are appearing as countries in the “Global South” prioritize energy access and economic development and are keen to develop indigenous fossil fuel resources. Are current scenarios fit for purpose? Do they adequately capture the complexities and trade-offs of a multidimensional energy transition? What should be the key characteristics of any new scenarios?