Professor Amagwu Ibeawuchi Francis

Amagwu, Ibeawuchi Francis (aka Frank) is a Professor of Micro & Development Finance and Faculty, Apollos University, Great Falls Montana, USA. He is also a Facilitator at the Post Graduate School of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), and a Senior Research Fellow (SRF) at The West African Green Economic Development Institute (WAGEDI). He is an Associate Research Fellow of the Africa Institute of Applied Economics (AIAE), Enugu, now African Heritage Institute.

Amagwu Ibeawuchi Francis holds a Ph.D. (With Distinction) in Micro & Development Studies from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, an M.Sc. Degree (also with Distinction) in Micro Finance from the same University, and another M.Sc. in Finance from the University of Lagos. Earlier, he obtained a B.Sc. Degree in Banking & Finance with top class honors as the best graduating student in the Department of Banking & Finance of the University of Calabar in 1990, hence winning the International Bank of West Africa (IBWA) Prize for academic excellence.

Professionally, he is a Senior honorary member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (HCIB), Fellow Chartered Certified Systems Accountants (FCCSA, USA), and Fellow Chartered National Accountant of Nigeria (FCNA). He is also a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) as well as the Institute of Treasury and Financial Accountants of Nigeria (ITFM).

His working career spans Teaching, Auditing, Retail & commercial banking, and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), where he held several positions and responsibilities, including Divisional Head of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund. He was also the immediate past Controller of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Abuja Branch. Before joining the services of the CBN in 2011 as an Assistant Director, Professor Amagwu had worked at various commercial banks for nineteen years. His last appointment was as Regional Director (South East) at First City Monument Bank (FCMB) PLC. He voluntarily retired from the services of the CBN as a Director (Operations) in November 2021.

An International Consultant in MSME Development Finance, Prof. Amagwu Ibeawuchi Francis is an author and publisher of many books and academic publications in reputable local and international journals. He is a motivational speaker, corporate coach, and mentor who enjoys writing and public policy analysis and advocacy.

He is currently involved in MSME Development and Green Economics. He is married to Dr. Chinedum Christabel, a Consultant Clinical Microbiologist, and they are blessed with children.