By Tony Emeka Nwosu
Nigeria’s former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex A. Okoh, has earned his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) after successfully defending a landmark dissertation that redefines the understanding of privatisation in emerging markets.
Okoh’s thesis, titled “Unveiling the Underlying Mechanisms and Perceived Benefits of Privatisation in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector: A Grounded Theory Approach,” provides one of the most comprehensive analyses yet of how Nigeria’s telecoms reform transformed from a state-controlled system to one of Africa’s most competitive markets.
A Practitioner-Turned-Scholar
The defense, held on Friday, November 7, 2025, was hailed by academics and policy experts as a major intellectual contribution that blends firsthand regulatory experience with rigorous scholarship.
Okoh, who served as BPE’s Director-General between 2017 and 2022, oversaw several landmark transactions and reform programs across key sectors — including telecommunications, power, and industrial manufacturing. His leadership helped advance Nigeria’s privatisation and commercialisation agenda, positioning the private sector as the primary driver of sustainable growth.
Economist and Fulbright Fellow, Dr. Bongo Adi, who supervised and later commended Okoh’s academic achievement, described the dissertation as “a monumental intellectual triumph that fuses regulatory mastery with grounded theory inquiry.”
“By drawing from his years of frontline experience dismantling state monopolies, unlocking private capital, and institutionalising governance reforms, Okoh’s research unearths the human and institutional dimensions of Nigeria’s privatisation journey,” Adi said. “He shows that privatisation is not just an economic event but a social process of negotiation, adaptation, and trust-building.”
Revisiting the Telecoms Revolution
Nigeria’s telecommunications sector is widely regarded as one of the country’s most successful privatisation stories. From the early 2000s liberalisation that broke NITEL’s monopoly to the entry of private operators that now serve over 200 million mobile subscribers, the sector’s transformation has been both rapid and profound.
Okoh’s study takes a fresh look at that journey, uncovering what he terms the “underlying mechanisms and perceived benefits” that drove the sector’s success — and what lessons they hold for other industries and countries.
Rather than focusing solely on financial or operational outcomes, the research integrates the lived experiences of regulators, policymakers, operators, and consumers, creating a multidimensional portrait of reform.
At its core, the dissertation argues that effective privatisation depends not only on market ideology but on the strength of institutions, the clarity of regulatory frameworks, and the depth of stakeholder engagement.
“Privatisation thrives not on ideology alone,” Adi summarized, “but on institutional trust, regulatory coherence, and inclusive design — principles Okoh embodied during his tenure at BPE.”
A Legacy Beyond Policy
During his time at BPE, Okoh championed reforms that emphasized transparency, competition, and investor confidence. His administration completed key transactions in the power and transport sectors and strengthened Nigeria’s Public–Private Partnership (PPP) framework.
Now, through his doctoral work, he has translated that practical experience into a structured body of knowledge, providing policymakers, academics, and investors with a new framework for responsible privatisation.
“This dissertation is not just a study; it is a legacy-defining contribution,” Adi noted. “It bridges the gap between theory and practice — where the regulator becomes the theorist, the practitioner becomes the pioneer, and the reformer becomes the reference point.”
Okoh’s work, according to experts in governance and infrastructure finance, could help shape the next generation of privatisation and public–private collaboration across Africa. His findings underscore the need for reform models that combine efficiency with equity, ensuring that market liberalisation delivers tangible benefits to citizens as well as investors.
Towards a Human-Centred Model of Reform
Beyond its technical and policy insights, Okoh’s research humanises the concept of privatisation. It captures the emotional and political dimensions often overlooked in economic literature — from public skepticism and regulatory uncertainty to the optimism that drives innovation once markets are opened.
“Privatisation is, at its heart, a human story,” one academic observer noted. “Okoh’s work reminds us that behind every reform are people — policymakers, workers, entrepreneurs, and consumers — each negotiating their place in a changing economy.”
A Dual Legacy
With this achievement, Dr. Alex Okoh joins a small but influential circle of African reformers whose scholarly contributions match their policy impact. His dual legacy — as a reformer who delivered change and a scholar who has codified that experience — positions him as a thought leader in both governance and development economics.
As Nigeria continues to navigate its next wave of economic restructuring — including potential refinery reforms and broader state asset rationalisation — Okoh’s work offers a timely reminder: true reform is not only technical or financial, but deeply institutional and profoundly human.
