About Don Okpala

Profile Of Dr. Donatus C.I. Okpala

Some Professional Position (s) held over the years.

  • Director of Monitoring and Research Division, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Nairobi, Kenya(2003 – 2006);
  • Chief, Urban Economy and Finance Branch, UN-Habitat, 1999 –2003
  • Chief, Settlements Planning and Policies Section, UN-Habitat, 1992 – 1999;
  • UN(Habitat) Liaison Officer, U.N Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 1983 – 1988.

Dr. Okpala  was educated  at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography (1971).  He  subsequently received  a Masters Degree  in Regional  Planning  at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard  University in Cambridge, Massachussetts, U.S.A (1974)   and a Ph.D. Degree   in Urban Studies  and Planning  from  the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology (M.I.T.),  Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A. (1977).

This range of  professional education and training broadened his professional perspectives and fortified his skills, commitment and interest in the urban and  Regional Planning field.

Dr. Okpala has  areas of specialization/interest that include spatial planning, land management, housing  and housing financing as well as  Socio-economic analysis generally.

His education  broadened his perspectives  of the world, imbued him with analytical skills and ability to make inferences and judgements based on factual analysis as well as enabled him to understand and appreciate issues in  objectively  balanced contexts.

Dr. Okpala   has had the  opportunity  of participating in  developing  and implementing a variety of national and international programmes and projects on Urban and Regional subjects, and representing the country and  his  profession on international conferences.

He had  served as Chairman of the Nigerian  Institute of Town Planner’s  ( N.I.T.P’s), Education and Research Committee from 1978 – 1980. During this tenure period,  he presided over the design and development  of a  Curriculum for Urban and Regional Planning in Nigerian Universities, Polytechnics and other Tertiary institutions and led Visitation Panels to some institutions offering Planning programmes in the country. This was  with a view  to determining  these institutions adequacy  and preparedness for  official accreditation by the Institute (N.I.T.P.).  His  Committee at that  time  drafted and published the Institute’s  first Manual for Urban and Regional Planning  Programmes in Nigeria, titled: “Educational Policy and Guidelines for Town and Country Planning Programmes in Nigeria (May 1979)”.

Dr. Okpala served as External Examiner in Town Planning to The Polytechnic Ibadan from 1978/79  to   1982/83.

He also participated in the Review of the Lagos Metropolitan Master Plan and the Lagos State Regional Plan for the then Lagos State Government (1980).

As a consultant to the World Bank,  Dr. Okpala co-ordinated the Bank’s Nigeria Urban Priorities Study (1982 -1983).

In 1983,  Dr. Okpala was appointed Human Settlements Officer by the United Nations, and deployed to the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS), headquartered in Nairobi  Kenya. From there, he was posted to the  United Nations Economic  Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  For five years (1983 – 1988), Dr. Okpala served as the principal UNCHS (Habitat) officer  for Africa in the Human Settlements analysis field, and  was charged with developing the African Regional component  of UNCHS(Habitat) Global Programmes and projects. In this position, Dr. Okpala was responsible for liaising, on behalf of UNCHS(Habitat), with the United Nations  Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the then Organization of African Unity (OAU), now the African Union (AU), which was also headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  His duties included holding  consultations on relevant inter-Agency issues with these respective  Organizations. His duties also included  technical and policy advisory support services  to African Member States on implementation of their respective national human settlements programmes.

He  was, in effect,  responsible for the over-all coordination of UNCHS(Habitat) activities at the  United Nations Economic Commission for Africa  in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 1983 -1988.

After five (5) years representing UN-Habitat at the United Nations Regional Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa,  Ethiopia, Dr. Okpala was re-deployed back to UN-Habitat  Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. From there,  until 2006, when he formally  retired from United Nations Service, Dr. Okpala participated   and contributed to  the development and back-stopping of numerous and varied global programmes and projects of UN-Habitat in the urban and regional planning, development and management sphere. These included development and  implementation of  the following programmes and projects, among others:

  • The Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II Conference) in Istanbul, Turkey in 1996;
  • Preparation and publication of the “Global Report on Human Settlement (1996 edition);
  • The Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000;
  • The Istanbul + 5 Global Conference in 2001 (New York, U.S.A.));
  • The Second World Urban  Forum 2004   (in Barcelona, Spain);

The Third  World Urban Forum  in the City of  Nanjing, China, in  (November  3 – 8), 2008

Indeed, for some four years after his  formal retirement from the United Nations in 2006,  Dr. Okpala, continued to  engage and contribute periodically ( on consultancy basis) in the development and implementation of programmes and projects  of the United Nations Human Settlements programme (UN-Habitat).

During 2007/2009,  Dr.  Okpala led and coordinated three Teams of about  20 Nigerian  Consultant Town Planners in the Preparation of  Urban Development Structure Plans for ­­­­three (3)  cities in Anambra State of Nigeria, namely: Awka Capital Territory,  Nnewi and Onitsha,  for the Anambra State Government. The Project was supported by UN-Habitat and the Government of Anambra State.

Dr. Okpala also in 2008 led a multi-national United Nations-Habitat Team of Four,  that carried out a Technical Assessment of the Comprehensive Environmental Planning and Redevelopment of the Qinhuai  River Corridor in Nanjing City, People’s Republic of China.

From 2010 –2011, Dr. Okpala served as Technical Assistance Programme Coordinator to Shelter-Afrique S.A.  –The Company for  Habitat and  Housing  in Africa.  This involved coordinating, monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the Institutional Capacity Building Technical Assistance offered  to the Shelter-Afrique Organization/Institution by the African Development Bank Group.

Dr.Okpala has written and published widely on Urban and Regional Planning and Development  and related socio-economic issues.   His  recent Memoir titled “ Life As Obstacle Race And Adventure” (Gold Press Ltd. Ibadan,  2017),  and his website, DONOKPALA.ORG,  more fully  reflects  his  life and  professional work.

 

    

 

Activities

He is  involved in wider humanitarian and Community Development activities and  has  served as President-General of his IsiAchina Community, in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, in Nigeria. He is a member of a number of Social Clubs and Charitable Organizations, including the Rotary Movement  for which he has served severally as District (9200) Officer; including as Rotary Assistant Governor.

Dr. Okpala has researched, written and published extensively on issues of  urban and regional development planning, land management, housing and housing finance, as well as on related socio-economic development issues.

His hobbies include reading, writing, and music. He plays lawn and  table tennis, as well as golf.