LAGOS — Adeola Olajubu, an executive operations and protocol professional with more than 15 years of experience across development finance, banking, logistics and administration, has highlighted the growing role of technology and data-driven operations in strengthening development finance and supporting industrial growth in Nigeria.

Olajubu, who has worked with the Bank of Industry (BOI), including as Executive Protocol and Operations Manager in the office of the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, said development finance institutions must increasingly integrate technology into their operational systems.

According to him, the growing complexity of development financing makes it necessary for institutions to move beyond traditional administrative processes and use technology to improve decision-making, risk management and coordination.

“Technology is no longer just a matter of administration anymore. Operational data needs to be captured, analysed and applied so that it can act as a strategic asset in decision-making, risk forecasting, stakeholder coordination and attainment of institutional objectives,” he said.

Olajubu said his professional experience had exposed him to the importance of real-time information in managing complex operations.

He cited his use of live flight-tracking platforms to monitor executive travel, enabling him to anticipate disruptions, make contingency arrangements and coordinate movements more efficiently.

He has also developed a system for prepaid executive airport lounge access as part of efforts to streamline executive travel arrangements.

Beyond executive operations, Olajubu has coordinated between 15 and 20 official domestic and international trips annually for the MD/CEO, covering itinerary planning, visa processing, ground transportation and risk assessment across Europe, North America and Africa.

His experience also includes major international engagements. He served as Lead Protocol Officer during the visit of the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, where he coordinated a week-long programme involving high-level engagements, security and logistics.

He also coordinated the African Association of Development Financing Institutions (AADFI) Annual Meetings, supporting more than 50 delegates from across Africa with visa processing, accommodation, transportation and departure arrangements.

Olajubu said the effectiveness of technology adoption should ultimately be measured by its impact on institutional performance.

“The real value of data is not in collecting information for its own sake. Its value lies in using reliable information to identify patterns, anticipate operational challenges, allocate resources intelligently and create systems that can respond quickly when circumstances change,” he said.

His experience as an entrepreneur also contributed to his understanding of technology-enabled logistics and operations.

Between 2016 and 2019, Olajubu founded and operated a logistics and protocol consultancy that provided logistics and delegate-management services to Lagos Business School.

During the period, he coordinated transportation for more than 100 international delegates and expatriate staff between the airport, hotels, the school’s campus and other destinations, using a fleet of between five and 10 vehicles.

He said lessons from operational management could be applied to the development finance sector, particularly in areas such as procurement, budgeting, logistics, executive management and institutional coordination.

Olajubu argued that Nigeria needed institutions capable of making faster and better-informed decisions while maintaining strong systems of accountability and coordination.

“Industrial growth depends not only on capital, but also on the quality of the systems surrounding that capital. Efficient operations, timely information, effective stakeholder coordination and disciplined resource management can help institutions translate financial support into meaningful development outcomes,” he said.

Olajubu holds an MBA in Marketing from Obafemi Awolowo University and a B.Sc. in Geography and Planning Science. He has also undertaken professional training in international business and diplomatic protocol.

His multidisciplinary experience spans banking, development finance, procurement, administration, logistics and executive operations, areas he said could be integrated with digital tools to improve institutional efficiency.

As Nigerian institutions continue to explore digital transformation and data-informed approaches to operational management, Olajubu’s experience underscores the potential of combining technology, reliable information and human expertise to improve institutional coordination and strengthen the impact of development finance on industrial growth.