Wiebe BoerWiebe Boer PhD

Nigeria

 

Occupational Information

Job Title: President of Calvin University (pending)

Professional History

Wiebe Boer has been selected as the President of Calvin University, a private evangelical university in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The university is his alma mater and he has close ties to the university.  Wiebe graduated in 1997 as a second-generation Calvin student and is married to Joanna Bachew, who graduated from Calvin in 2003.  Founded in 1876, Calvin University is an educational institution based on the Calvinist tradition, and named after John Calvin, the 16th-century Protestant Reformer.

Prior to his new position at Calvin, Wiebe was CEO of All On, an off-grid energy impact investment fund for Nigeria seeded by Shell. With his expertise in the energy sector, Wiebe also serves on the UN Technical Working Group 5: Finance and Investment Board. 

Before joining All On, he was a Principal with the Lagos office of the Boston Consulting Group serving as the head of Public Sector, marketing, and business development for BCG's new Lagos office.  Wiebe previously served as the Director of Strategy and Chief of Staff to the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, a pan-African investment holding company. He was the inaugural CEO of The Tony Elumelu Foundation, an African foundation established in 2010 to advance Africa’s economic development and prosperity.  He brought with him expertise as an Associate Director with the Rockefeller Foundation’s Africa Regional Office based in Nairobi, Kenya, where he managed a broad portfolio including climate change, agricultural development, impact investing, China’s engagement with Africa, and impact outsourcing.

Wiebe joined the Rockefeller Foundation in early 2008 after three years as a consultant with McKinsey & Company’s Atlanta Office, where in addition to numerous engagements in the private sector in the United States, he participated on the team that worked with the Government of Kenya to develop the economic pillar of Vision 2030, the country’s ambitious long term development strategy. Prior to joining McKinsey, Wiebe spent two years in Mauritania managing a USAID-funded food aid development project for World Vision.

Born and raised in Jos, Nigeria to Dutch missionary parents, Wiebe obtained two Masters degrees, and his Ph.D. in African History from Yale University. While carrying out his dissertation research in Nigeria on the role of football in the construction of a Nigerian national identity, Wiebe and a group of partners set up the first major ISP in central Nigeria.

Qualifications

Undergraduate degree from Calvin University
Two Masters degrees from Yale University
Ph.D. in African History from Yale University

Programme

2015 Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellowship

 Additional Tags: African History, Economic Opportunity, Financial Services, Investment Banking, Commercial Energy, Farming, Health Care, Higher Education,

Hits: 9586
 

About AFLI

 

AFLIICONCROPPED

 

The African Leadership Institute (AFLI) focuses on building the capacity and capability of visionary and strategic leadership across the continent. Developing exceptional leaders representing all spheres of society, the Institute’s flagship programme is the prestigious Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellowship. Offering a multifaceted learning experience and run in partnership with Oxford University, it is awarded annually to 20-25 carefully chosen candidates, nominated from across Africa. Alumni of the African Leadership Institute form a dynamic network of Fellows passionately committed to the continent’s transformation, bridging the divide between nations and ensuring that Africa is set centre-stage in global affairs.