Our Team

DIAL is led by a multidisciplinary team of professionals with over 40 years of collective experience delivering evidence-based strategies and solutions that shape systems and transform communities. Below are key members of our core team.

Strategic Advisory

DIAL maintains a broader database of seasoned experts, coordinators, and data collectors in all 36 states and the FCT of Nigeria including many African Countries who can be swiftly mobilised on short notice for immediate deployment on specialised assignments as requested by our clients and partners.

Dr. Samson Doma, Ph.D. | Managing Partner (Strategy & Partnerships)

Two PhDs (Policy & Development; Defence & Security) and three Master’s degrees with 12+ years of experience in programme management, monitoring, evaluation, and learning across agriculture, food security, governance, conflict prevention, and community development | Regional MEL and impact specialist supporting large donor-funded programmes including USAID, Mastercard Foundation, and multi-country initiatives across West and East Africa. | Experienced in designing MEL systems, managing large programme portfolios, and ensuring data quality, learning, and adaptive management across complex development programmes. | Has worked across more than 20 Nigerian states and 20+ African countries, including Ethiopia and Kenya. Strong expertise in fragility and conflict analysis, GESI integration, and evidence-based programme decision-making. Harvard-certified in Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) and Creating Public Value (CPV).

Onomen Yvonne Isikhuemen | Managing Partner (Technical & Operations)

Development Researcher and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) expert with 9+ years’ experience supporting large-scale donor-funded programmes across Africa. Provides third-party monitoring and advisory support to multiple Mastercard Foundation projects across health, agriculture, creative industries, and livelihoods. | Former MEL Manager for the $15.7M USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity, contributing to the facilitation of $200M in agribusiness finance and $100M in investment for over 5,000 MSMEs. | Previously supported the £21M DFID-funded Market Development Programme in the Niger Delta (9 states), aimed at increasing incomes for over 155,000 people. | Experienced in gender sensitive MEL system design, evaluations, data systems strengthening, and evidence-based programme learning. Skilled in leading baseline, midline, and endline evaluations, surveys, and GIS-enabled monitoring systems across complex development programmes.

Mevayero Umokoro | MEL & Data Systems Specialist

17+ years designing performance management systems | Provide overall MEL leadership for the Pathways to Scale (P2S) project implemented by WUSC & funded by Mastercard Foundation across 4 countries in East and West Africa aimed at scaling women-owned and women-led businesses to enhance their economic wellbeing and resilience | MEL Director for USAID West Africa Trade & Investment Hub ($140M portfolio, 16 countries) | Technical oversight for $87.6M USAID education portfolio | Deep expertise in impact evaluation and adaptive programming, third party monitoring (TPM).

Aniefiok Dominic Effiong | Knowledge Management, Collaboration, Learning, & Adaptation Specialist

12+ years knowledge management, collaboration, learning and adaptation expertise| |Knowledge management Consultant | Former USAID West Africa CLA Specialist at Dexis Consulting Group | Winner of the 2022 USAID Global CLA Case Study Award for advancing institutional learning and adaptive management in complex programmes for Mercy Corps.

Emmanuel Azaino | Agriculture, Food Security & Institutional Capacity Building Expert

25+ years in agriculture programme development | PPP Director at USAID West Africa Trade & Investment Hub | Head of Agriculture & Economic Growth Unit, Catholic Relief Services Nigeria | Former State Project Manager at IITA | Partnership and agribusiness development technical advisor.

Zainab Aminu | Safeguarding and Social Inclusion Specialist

13+ years of experience in safeguarding, SRH and family planning, GBV prevention, child protection, GEDSI, and digital inclusion programmes | Expertise in value chain analysis, participatory research, and multi-stakeholder engagement, women economic empowerment | Renewable energy solutions for agriculture (solar irrigation, cold storage) | Cooperative development and producer group management | Leadership, negotiation, and market linkage development for women entrepreneurs

Dr. Jamiu Munir Wahab, Ph.D. | Agricultural Economist & MEL Specialist

PhD in Agricultural Economics | 7+ years in development MEL and data management | Expertise in value chain analysis, participatory research, and multi-stakeholder engagement | Worked in 10+ northern Nigerian states.

Sani Mohammed Ibrahim | Programme Management & MEAL Specialist

20+ years in development | Harvard PDIA certificate | Ipsos Nigeria Assistant Coordinator Mastercard Foundation Research & MEL advisory service | Expertise spanning agriculture & food security, public financial management, governance, conflict management, health, and private-public sector partnerships.

Theresa Talatu Ochu | Programme Management, Nutrition, & Public Health Specialist

19+ years in international development and public health | Led evaluations for UNDP, FCDO, and bilateral donors | Project Manager for Evaluating Primary Health Care Performance (ePHC-P) initiative | Nutrition assessment expertise | Gender-responsive nutrition and agribusiness policy advocacy and women economic empowerment initiatives | Fluent in English, Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba.

Ibrahim Kayode Awofe | Private Sector & Investment Advisor

M.Sc. Development Policy (KDI, South Korea) | agribusiness and startup expert | Mobilised $46.35M in private sector investment into Nigeria’s non-oil economy | Delivered large-scale agro-processing facilities and rice mills (200,000 MT annual capacity) | Supported 500,000+ smallholder farmers through $116.1M USAID West Africa Trade & Investment Hub | Institutional and capacity building specialist.

Hauwa Umar | Gender Specialist

14+ years advancing gender equality, women’s empowerment, and safeguarding in Northern Nigeria | GEDSI Specialist for Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund | Gender-responsive agribusiness policy advocacy and women economic empowerment initiatives| Expertise in GALS, gender-sensitive methodologies, agriculture, agribusiness, and women’s economic empowerment | Worked in all 19 northern states of Nigeria.

Fadoju Sunkanmi Ade | Data Management, Analytics, & Visualisation Specialist

12+ years in data management, quantitative analysis, survey programming, and mobile data collection | Lead overall MEAL for Young Africa International-MasterCard Funded Youth Employability Booster Project [YEB] in Nigeria | MEL Manager for USAID West Africa Trade & Investment Hub across 16 West African countries | Extensive work on agricultural, health, nutrition, and education projects across Nigeria and Africa.

Abigail David Henry | Nutrition and Health Management Specialist

12+ years advancing nutrition, maternal, child health and nutritional therapy | Food safety, quality standards, and certification | Financial literacy and access to finance for women-led enterprises | Operational efficiency, women & children health & nutrition advocate, gender equality, women’s empowerment, and safeguarding in Northern Nigeria | SRHR Specialist | Financial literacy and access to finance for women-led enterprises