Mrs. Grace Esohe Iredia-Amedu

Agricultural Economist, Mrs. Grace Esohe Iredia-Amedu, Inducted as Fellow of the Institute of Business Diplomacy and Financial Management
The Institute of Business Diplomacy and Financial Management (IBDFM) has conferred its Fellowship on Mrs. Grace Esohe Iredia-Amedu, an Agricultural Economist and Agribusiness Development Specialist. The honour recognises her contributions to rural development, agricultural finance and enterprise promotion in Nigeria.
Mrs. Iredia-Amedu was formally inducted into the rank of Fellow on Saturday, 5th September 2026, at the Institute's 90th Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) Programme and Membership/Fellowship Investiture, held at Novare Central Mall, Abuja. The President of the Institute, Dr. Gado Shehu, MNI, FBDFM, pronounced her a Fellow at the ceremony. The event brought together accomplished professionals from the public and private sectors who were honoured for excellence, integrity and leadership in their fields.
She hails from Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State. She holds a Bachelor of Agriculture degree in Agricultural Economics and Extension (Second Class Upper Division) from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, and a Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Benin. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Agricultural Economics and Resource Management. Her master's research assessed the financial management practices of farmer cooperatives in Edo State.
Her Fellowship of IBDFM adds to her existing professional credentials. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants, Nigeria, and has been a Graduate Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management since 2010. She also holds a Proficiency Certificate in Management from the Nigerian Institute of Management and passed the Public Service Examination (Grade B) at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON). During her national service, she received the Delta State NYSC Governing Board Honours Award.
Her career spans more than 15 years across development projects, extension services and agricultural finance. She began with the World Bank-assisted Third National Fadama Development Project (Fadama III). There she served first in the Delta State Coordination Office, Asaba, and later as a Facilitator with the Edo State Fadama III Project, where she supported community development, capacity building and subproject implementation for beneficiaries.
She went on to serve as an Agricultural Extension Agent and later as Subject Matter Specialist, Women in Agriculture, with the Edo Agricultural Development Programme. Between these roles, she spent over three years as an Agricultural Client Support Officer with LAPO Microfinance Bank Plc. In that role she appraised agribusinesses for credit and managed loan disbursement and recovery. She also handled client processes under the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund (ACGSF) and with the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation.
Since July 2020, Mrs. Iredia-Amedu has served as State Agribusiness Promotion Officer with the Edo State Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises Project – Niger Delta (LIFE-ND). In this role she leads the incubator-apprenticeship model. Its targets include empowering at least 100 incubators and establishing 4,250 new agri-enterprises across 100 communities in 10 local government areas of the state. Her responsibilities include developing agribusiness plans for the State Annual Work Plan and Budget, supervising service providers, coordinating training curricula and facilitating working capital support for beneficiaries.
With her admission into the Fellowship of IBDFM, Mrs. Iredia-Amedu joins a select group of professionals expected to advance ethical business practice, sound financial management and mentorship across sectors.