James Peter Okwakol

Experience

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  Bank of Baroda

  Jan 1995 - Jun 1995

  Banking Assistant
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  Uganda Electricity Board

  Jul 1995 - Feb 2001

  Internal Auditor
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  Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited

  Mar 2001 - Mar 2003

  Principal Internal Auditor
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  Pride Microfinance Limited

  Apr 2003 - Feb 2011

  Head of Audit
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  Deliverance Church Kira

  Jan 2007 - now

  Member Eldership Board and Finance Committee

  Responsible for exercising oversight over the financial and operational activities, ensuring a healthy financial state of the church, setting policies and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations, laws and policies, upholding the doctrine and values of the church and advancement of the mission and purpose and ensuring growth and development of members.

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  United Nations

  Apr 2011 - Oct 2021

  • Chief Resident Auditor

    Oct 2015 - Oct 2021

  • Resident Auditor

    Sept 2013 - Sept 2015

  • Resident Auditor

    Apr 2011 - Aug 2013
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  Self-employed

  Oct 2021 - Aug 2024

  Managing Director

  I'm proud to be taking on a 20 year passion of mine to greater heights!

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  AIRD

  Jan 2023 - Apr 2024

  Risk and Compliance Manager

  Responsible for risk management and compliance in Country Programs in 12 countries including in Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, DRC, Central African Republic, Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Burkina Faso, South Sudan, Liberia and Ethiopia. Guiding in reducing risk and increasing the effectiveness of the organization’s programming and service delivery and ensuring that key risks relating to the organization’s business are identified, documented, mitigated and properly managed. Ensuring that Country Programs comply with policies and procedures, regulations and recommended actions arising from external audits, Board meetings, Management meetings, Government, and Donor contract terms and conditions, internal reviews, and program visit reports.Ensuring that allegations are timely investigated and appropriate actions taken. Ensuring quality and value-added support to Country Programs.Achievements • Successfully coordinated and supported all country programs in external audits and all country programs received unqualified audit opinions. • Successfully followed-up to ensure effective implementation of recommendations from external audits, senior management recommendations, internal reviews and donors. • Expeditiously and comprehensively investigated all allegations that were received and presented appropriate recommendations for improvement of systems and operations and successfully followed-up on effective implementation of all recommendations arising from the investigations. • Effectively supported management to deal with ad-hoc projects. For example, supported a country program in dealing with a complex reconciliation project of $3.5 million. • Successfully supported a Country Program that was going through program adjustments involving some closures and ensured that all high value items were properly accounted for and reported, ending up with no loss in the country program. Show less

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  African Initiatives for Relief& Development

  Apr 2024 - now

  Country Program Director

  Build and maintain a strong, innovative senior leadership team and ensure organisational policies and code of conduct are followed.Lead the design, implementation, evolution and growth of the country program strategic plan. Promote the organisational vision, mission, core values and key partnership standards and practices among the staff and partners and that such are the foundation of the Country Program’s strategies and work.Direct the mobilization, management, and accounting of all resources in the Country Program. Ensure proper accountability and management of donor funds and partner assets. Oversee the management and development of the Country Program human resources to ensure a diverse, skilled, and productive workforce. Provide leadership, strategic direction and support in the development and implementation of an effective resource development strategy.Ensure people issues are front and centre, embracing diversity, gender balance and engagement with all partnership staff.Implement organisational standard operating procedures and partnership agreements signed with donors and partners. Achievements • Closely collaborated with donors and partners to ensure service delivery is always upheld and shared objectives are achieved amidst the ever-increasing resource constraints. • Rapidly reorganised the country team to focus on delivery of key results critical to the key stakeholders. • Quickly filled critical staffing gaps with the right talents and through appropriate training, tooling, skilling and refocussing, built a strong and innovative team that is delivering quality services and reports and eliminating delays in reporting. • Oversaw successful and timely completion of external audits and donor reviews of the Country Program. Show less