Chiedu Ugbo
Chiedu Ugbo is an established legal and energy sector professional with over 33 years of post-call experience at the intersection of law, policy, and power infrastructure development. He served as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NDPHC from 2016 to 2024, where he led one of the largest power infrastructure development agencies in sub-Saharan Africa.
Before his appointment at NDPHC, he served as the Senior Special Assistant (Power Privatization) to the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria and concurrently as Acting Head of the Advisory Power Team in the Office of the Vice President of Federal Republic of Nigeria — playing a central role in reforming Nigeria’s electricity sector.
Chiedu Ugbo holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree, both from the University of Lagos, Akoka. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1991 as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in International Legal Practice from The College of Law of England and Wales, UK.
In addition to his academic qualifications, Chiedu earned several professional certifications in electricity industry reform and utilities regulation. These include a Certificate in Electricity Industry Restructuring from the Canadian Energy Research Institute, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and a professional certification as a Certified Regulation Specialist from the Institute for Public-Private Partnerships, Washington D.C., in collaboration with WEDC, Loughborough University, UK. He is also a Fellow of the International Bar Association.
With over 33 years of post-call experience, Chiedu has built a distinguished career spanning legal practice, policy formulation and energy sector leadership. Prior to his appointments in public service, he worked with several reputable law firms in Lagos, including Benchmac & Ince—a specialist firm he co-founded in 2002 with offices in Lagos and Abuja—where he gained broad-based experience in corporate and commercial legal practice.
His deep focus on energy law, infrastructure transactions, privatisation, and regulatory advisory has positioned as a leading legal voice in Nigeria power sector. His work with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and as a consultant under international donor-backed programs has seen him contribute to the legal frameworks and transaction structures underpinning Nigeria’s electricity industry reform and privatization.
From coordinating the legal work steams for the successful privatization of over 20 electricity undertakings — including Egbin, Omotosho I, and Olorunsogo I, power plants — to providing embedded advisory support at Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), Chiedu has consistently delivered legal value in technically complex and policy-sensitive environments.
As MD/CEO of NDPHC, Chiedu led the implementation of transformative power projects across generation, transmission, and distribution. Under his leadership, NDPHC:
- Managed 4,000 MW of generation capacity.
- Completed over 30 high-voltage transmission projects and 100+ distribution infrastructure projects nationwide.
- Championed the development of utility scale solar projects and the deployment of off-grid Solar Home Systems to underserved communities principally under the Federal Government’s Economic Sustainability Plan.