Gov Soludo appoints Chiamaka Nnake as first female SSG

Chukwuma Soludo has approved the appointment of Mrs. Chiamaka Nnake as the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG), making her the first woman to hold the position since the state’s creation.

Nnake, 39, succeeds Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu, who served as SSG since the inception of the Soludo administration. Her appointment is the first major political appointment since the governor commenced his second term.

A native of Nawfia in Njikoka Local Government Area, Nnake is a finance and public sector professional with over 13 years of experience in finance, strategy development, and economic planning.

Prior to her new role, she served as Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning and Chairman of Solution Fun City Limited, overseeing resource mobilisation, planning, and allocation to drive socio-economic development in the state.

She has also held leadership positions at key state agencies, including the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency, the Internal Revenue Service Board, and the Small Business Agency. As Reform Champion for Ease of Doing Business and focal point for Social Investment Programmes, Nnake played a pivotal role in advancing reforms and promoting inclusive growth. She also serves as Nigeria Chairperson for the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) Programme.

Before entering public service, Nnake was a Senior Strategy Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers Nigeria, leading over 30 client engagements across sectors such as financial services, government, and agriculture. She received PwC’s CEO Award in 2021 in recognition of her performance and contributed to the development of Anambra Vision 2070, a 50-year state development blueprint.

Earlier in her career, she worked as a Business Analyst at IHS Towers and as an Equity Research Analyst at Meristem Securities Limited, covering publicly listed pharmaceutical and consumer goods firms.

Nnake holds an MBA from Lagos Business School, where she earned Beta Gamma Sigma lifetime recognition for academic excellence, and graduated with First-Class Honours in Accounting from Benson Idahosa University.

She is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, a member of its National Advisory Committee, and has passed Level I of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) programme. She has also completed executive training at Harvard Kennedy School and is pursuing a PhD in Public Policy.