CESRI
Centre of Excellence for Scientific Research & Innovation
"Bridging Theory and Practice Through Research"
Director-General and Founder | Office of the Director-General
Edwin Okey (Chikata) Ijeoma is an accomplished scholar in Applied Policy and Public Sector Economics, Research Specialist, Author and Founding Chief Editor of several accredited academic journals and books for the undergraduates, postgraduates and professional students alike.
He holds a PhD, in Public Affairs with special bias to Policy and Public sector Economics from the University of Pretoria in 2003, an MBA from Kensington University, Glendale, California, USA, in 1995, and as a Merchant banker, prior to his enrolment for an MBA professional programme, he attended the structured B.Sc. (Hons) in Business Administration programme for working professionals at the University of Lagos till 1993.
Before starting his banking career with the AFRI bank Nigeria Plc in 1984 and the New World Merchant Bank in 1990, he obtained a professional diploma in banking and Finance with the National College of Advanced Studies, Aba in 1984 towards the professional United Kingdom’s Associate Institute of Bankers (AIB), the Chattered Institute of Management Accounting(CIMA) and the London Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (LCC) finance examinations.
From 2010 to 2021 he served as Chair and Head of the School of Government and Publi Administration (SGPA) at the University of Fort Hare, Bisho Campus. Prof Ijeoma’s post graduate supervision records on master’s degree dissertations and doctoral degree thesis remains about sixty (60) and fifty (50) graduated students respectively. Ijeoma did not only serve on the Senate and Research Ethics Committee of the University of Fort Hare, but he also led the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the University’s Mentorship and Emerging Researchers programme (MERP) with many Mentees under his portfolio. He also led a team of senior academics and researchers within the public sector community of practice to articulate, register and secure accreditation for many graduates , postgraduate, including the postgraduate diploma, master and doctoral degrees programmes from the South African Council for Higher education(CHE) and the South African Qualifications Authority(SAQA).
He also served as a Director at the Fort Hare Solutions, a business entity fully owned by the University of Fort Hare, South Africa. He was the pioneer Director and Project Leader of the Institute for Development Assistance Management (IDAM). A partnership between South Africa’s National Department of Agriculture, Forestries and Fishry (DAFF) and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.The IDAM initiative aimed at developing the much-needed managerial skills for targeted working professional and academic study programmes on Development Assistance Management (DAM) in South Africa with a view to developing partnerships, networks and collaboration around Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) and other related programmes aligned with industrial community of practice. Under his leadership of the IDAM initiative, Ijeoma led the establishment of the University of Fort Hare unemployed graduate internship programme wherein over one hundred and thirty (130) unemployed UFH graduates were provided with the first-hand Youths Internship work opportunities at the offices of the Department of Home Affairs acroos the Eastern Cape province. A One of the youths’ empowerment programmes that signaled a possible rollout across the nine provinces through other Public Universities in South Africa.
Following, his keen commitments on teaching, learning, internationalization, community engagements , commissioned research and other related activities, at the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, he received three (3) top young and emerging Researcher’s awards between 2005 and 2009.
He was the pioneer Research Specialist at the New Partnership for Africa’s Development(NEPAD)Secretariat, the African Union (AU) projects implementation agency in the Development Bank of Southern Africa( DBSA) Midrand, South Africa (2000–2004), participated in five African Heads of State and Governments (AHSG) meetings and several other technical and working visits to many African Union countries.
He served as a member of the team of Researchers, Advisers, Training and Learning contents creators and facilitators for the South Africa’s National School of Government (2000–2020) and the Directorate for Training & Capacity Building, National Department of Planning, Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) (2009–2021).
He was Research Co-Theme Leader on Human Sciences Research Council( HSRC) and University of Fort Hare (UFH) project on Assessing the Impact of Constitutional Court Decisions on social Transformation, funded by the South African National Department of Justice (2014–2015), and served the University of Fort Hare Department of Economics, Faculty of Management and Commerce as Research Coordinator and Project Leader of the New Revenue Sources for Eastern Cape Provincial Departments project, funded by the Provincial Treasury of the Eastern Cape (2018–2019).
He served as Research Consultant to the Pan-African Parliament (2005–2021). He was a Board Member of the Southern Africa Association of Association of Schools and Departments of Public Administration and Management (ASSADPAM) and the South Africa Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM), Founding member of the South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA) and Founding President and Chairperson of SAMEA Eastern Cape, South Africa. Founding Member of the African Evaluation Association (AFREA), and Chief Editor of the Pan-African Journal for Scientific Research and Innovation (PAJSRI). His multi-decade direct engagement with South African government departments, African Union institutions, and multilateral development organizations provides this research team with the institutional access, policy credibility, and contextual knowledge essential for translating findings into actionable public sector recommendations.
Apart from being a member of editorial board of many academic and commissioned research journals, Prof.Ijeoma was the founder and Chief Editor of a few accredited academic journals in South Africa, namely, the Africa’s Public Service Delivery and Performance Review (APSDPR) and the Journal of Local Government Research and Innovation (JOLGRI). He is presently, the founder and Chief Editor of the new Artificial Intelligence Journal for Scientific Research and Innovation (AI-JSRI) published by the Centre of Excellence for Scientific Research and Innovation(CESRI).
University of Fort Hare (2005-2008)
Thesis: "Development Policy and Economic Transformation in Post-Apartheid South Africa"
University of Cape Town (2002-2004)
Specialization: Public Policy and Administration
University of Zululand (1998-2001)
Major: Economics and Political Science
University of Pretoria-2003
The Redeemed Bible College, Lagos-1996
Kensington University, Honolulu, USA-1995
University of Lagos-1993
London Chamber of Commerce and Industry(LCCI)-1985
National College of Advanced Studies ,Aba-1994
CESRI University (2018-Present)
Courses: Research Methodology, Innovation Management, Policy Analysis
University of Fort Hare (2010-2018)
Courses: Development Studies, Public Policy, Economic Development
University of Zululand (2004-2010)
Courses: Economics, Political Science, Research Methods
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