ABER Appoints Fiona Ejimofor Director of Membership, Welfare and Inclusion
The Africa Blue Economy Roundtable (ABER) has appointed Lady Fiona Ejimofor as Director of Membership, Welfare and Inclusion of its Women’s Forum Executive Bureau.
The Convener and Chief Executive Officer of ABER, Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo, announced the appointment while speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
Ejimofor is a Nigerian entrepreneur, economist, former banker and business executive with experience in finance, commercial operations and business development.
She studied Economics at the University of Ghana, Legon, and began her professional career with Zenith Bank Ghana.
She currently serves as Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FIONA FOOD-MART COMPANY LIMITED, an agro-food production and export enterprise.
She also leads DanMIRA Integrated Services Limited (DISL), a multi-sector brokerage and project facilitation firm.
The company focuses on connecting verified opportunities, businesses and stakeholders across diverse sectors.
Ejimofor previously served as Director of Finance at the BRACED Tourism Promotion & Development Initiative (BTPDI), the parent non-governmental organisation of ABER.
In that role, she contributed financial expertise and strategic insight to organisational management.
Her professional interests include finance, entrepreneurship, agro-food production and export, maritime and Blue Economy enterprise, brokerage and project facilitation.
She is committed to integrity, strategic leadership, value creation and institution building.
Commenting on the appointment, Kiyaramo described Ejimofor as a strategic link between policy development and practical opportunities for women.
“Lady Fiona represents the precise bridge the ABER Women’s Forum requires — from policy to practice,” he said.
He said her banking, economic and entrepreneurial experience would help address challenges affecting women across the Blue Economy value chain.
“From the smoking kilns of Oyorokoto in Rivers State, Nigeria, to international export markets, she will ensure our women are not merely counted, but bankable, export-ready and fully included,” Kiyaramo said.
He said the appointment aligned with ABER’s efforts to advance the 2026–2027 International Maritime Organization (IMO) World Maritime Day theme.
The theme is “From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence.”
Kiyaramo also referenced the African Union’s Correct The Map Campaign, stressing the importance of inclusive participation across the maritime sector.
“We need a Director of Membership who will power inclusion — from creeks to capital, from processing to power,” he said.
Under her new mandate, Ejimofor will oversee membership development and formalisation within the ABER Women’s Forum.
She will also support the development of a verifiable database of women participating in Africa’s Blue Economy value chain.
The database is expected to cover fish processors, seaweed farmers, marine lawyers, tourism operators and students, among other professionals.
Her responsibilities will further include strengthening connections among members across Africa’s five regions and the diaspora.
The initiative will promote mentorship, market access and investment opportunities for members.
Kiyaramo said the Women’s Forum must serve women across different levels of the Blue Economy, rather than operate solely as an elite platform.
“The ABER Women’s Forum is the heart of ABER. It must not be an elite roundtable for suits, but a true home for the fish processor in Port Harcourt, the seaweed farmer in Zanzibar and the marine lawyer in Lagos,” he said.
He added that the organisation remained committed to building systems that create sustainable impact and promote inclusive participation.
About ABER Women’s Forum
The ABER Women’s Forum is the gender inclusion arm of the Africa Blue Economy Roundtable.
It is mandated to promote inclusive and sustainable Blue Economy development by advancing women’s participation in maritime decision-making.
The forum seeks to move women from the margins to the centre of p
olicy, enterprise and leadership across Africa’s Blue Economy.
