NESG appoints Osasuyi Dirisu as PIC executive director

Osasuyi Dirisu has been named the new executive director of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group’s Policy Innovation Centre (PIC).

Dirisu succeeds Faisal Naru, the Centre’s inaugural executive director, who was appointed in July 2021 and helped set up the PIC as the first national institutionalized behavioural science initiative in sub-Saharan Africa.

She holds an MB: BS degree from the University of Ibadan, an MPH from the University of Lagos, an MBA from the Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, and a PhD from the University of Leeds.

“We are confident that Dirisu’s leadership, commitment and experience will help advance the mission of PIC in improving diagnostics, supporting evidence-based policy and crafting behavioural solutions to address critical development issues in Nigeria,” said Laoye Jaiyeola, NESG CEO.

He also thanked Faisal Naru for the dedication and enthusiasm he showed in building up the PIC.

“We cannot thank him enough for the dedication and enthusiasm he has displayed, and wish him the very best in the next phase of his career, over the past year, he has worked tirelessly to build the profile of the PIC internationally and also led the development of the Behavioural Insights for Accountability and Transparency Course funded by MacArthur Foundation, ”Jaiyeola said.

Dirisu joined the PIC as the first deputy director in August 2021, bringing decades of experience in social development, public health, gender, and inclusion. She has led a number of projects at the PIC in the last year, including the first-ever national-level Gender and Inclusion Summit, which was held on Day 3 of the 28th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES#28) to explore transformative ways to achieve gender equality, gender-responsive governance, and accelerate SDG implementation.

Dirisu was previously the Population Council’s research director, where she oversaw a variety of social and behavioural projects across sectors. On the EU-Spotlight initiative, she also led the creation of the National Gender Based Violence (GBV) Dashboard, an innovative data management and visualization platform for validated, real-time GBV data in Nigeria.

The PIC is institutionalised within the NESG, a think-tank organisation that promotes sustainable growth and development in the Nigerian economy using research-based advocacy methods.