NEXT STEP INITIATIVE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Founder
- Member of the Board
- Advisor to Leading UK
- Chief Executive Officer of NSI
Beltus is the founder of Next Step Initiative (NSI). He holds a BA in Business Accounting with Distinction, and an MSc in
International Finance Management. Beltus is the Chief Executive Officer of NSI. He is also the co-founder, Fellow, and Director of
the Centre for African Policy Development and Research Scotland and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He has a wide and
engage and now trade with commercial markets in Africa. Beltus is an advisor to leading UK corporations in the Financial
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Associate Professor of Animal Science
- Board of Trustee
Dr. Emmanuel Opoola is an Associate Professor of Animal Science, and he is currently a research scholar at the African Forum Centre for Policy Research and Development, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. He is a PhD graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in Nigeria. He attended several conferences and workshops both at local and international levels leading to many scientific publications totalling 59 to his credit.
Dr. Emmanuel Opoola served as in-person volunteer for the Winrock Farmer-to-Farmer projects in Nigeria sponsored by U.S Agency for International Development (USAID). In 2017-2020, Dr. Emmanuel Opoola, was a facilitator for the Graduate Unemployed Youths (GUYS) and the Agro Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) Project which is a six-year project developed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) in collaboration with the World Bank and other stakeholders, where he developed the poultry production manual used for the trainings. He is actively involved in international development projects and community activities. He is also a volunteer for the Greatway Foundation in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Dr. Emmanuel Opoola was a recipient of Kwara State Scholarship award and TEEAL project, located within Cornell University, Mann Library, Ithaca, NY, USA and the Information Training and Outreach Centre of Africa (ITOCA), South Africa, (2010 and 2016 respectively). In 2021,
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Board
- Vice Chairman
- Chairman of Finance and Governance Committee of NSI and Co - Funder of NSI
- Co - Founder / VC
Festus is the Chairman of Finance and Governance committee of NSI and co -funder of NSI. Festus is a qualified Chartered Accountant by training. He worked as a Financial Consultant for her Majesty the Queen Mother of England at the Queen Nursing Institute and Queen Nursing Fund and later joined Barclays Bank where he served as Branch Manager, Risk Manager, Compliance and Financial Control Manager. Prior to this, Festus worked in Nigeria as Senior Auditor in International Merchant Bank and Chief Inspector of Peoples Bank. At Barclays, Festus reconciled the accounting record that led to the recovery of 14.6million pounds. In recognition of his effort, he was sponsored for his MBA at the University of Manchester Business School.
Festus has been headhunted as consultant to train and implement risk management and compliance process across Europe, Middle East, and Africa for different organisations including Cummins Inc (an American Multinational Company), Royal Bank of Scotland, Sprit Inc (an Aeroplane manufacturing Company in Glasgow Prestwick) Special Adviser and consultant on revenue and budget to the Chief Executive Officer, Perth and Kinross Council, and Senior Consultant Lloyds Bank of Scotland. Festus is the first Chief Executive of Greatway Foundation (A voluntary organisation registered by the Scottish Government to work on youth empowerment and poverty alleviation). He is also the first President and Chief Executive of Scottish Council of African Churches (An established executive body that works in partnership with the Scottish government, different religious organisation, agencies, and institutions of learning).
Festus holds a PhD in Finance from California State University, MBA Finance from the University of Manchester and MBCI from the Business Continuity Institute United Kingdom. He is also a member of Harvard School of Divinity summer leadership program.
Rosebella is a Community Health Professional with a close understanding of the communities that she serve. This trusting relationship enables her to serve as an intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. She has over 5 years of experience spanning across capacity building and health research with a proven record of accomplishment in policy development, training, business growth and development as gained from working across various community development programs. Rosebella currently holds a Bachelor's degree in Social Work and with MBA leadership in view.