Oge Onubogu is the director of the West Africa program at the U.S. Institute of Peace, where she leads programming in Nigeria, Coastal West Africa, Lake Chad Basin and the Gulf of Guinea. In this position, she provides leadership and oversees the design and implementation of projects to mitigate violent conflict, promote inclusion and strengthen community-oriented security by partnering with policymakers, civic leaders and organizations. Onubogu’s thematic focus is on governance and democracy, U.S.-Africa relations, and civil society development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Prior to joining USIP in 2015, she managed governance, citizen engagement, and election programs in countries across West and Southern Africa with the National Democratic Institute. Before that, she was the program officer for West Africa at the National Endowment for Democracy, where for several years, she oversaw and managed a multi-million-dollar grants portfolio to civil society organizations in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Cameroon.

Onubogu has consulted for the World Bank, Freedom House and the Carter Center. She has also coordinated refugee resettlement programs with the International Rescue Committee. Onubogu is a regular commentator and speaker on Nigerian and African affairs. She has a bachelor’s in international and area studies from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s in international development from Brandeis University. She is also in the Public Leadership Credential program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.