Joseph Akpokodje, a Nigerian national, joined the World Bank Group in 2005 and currently holds the position of Senior Environmental Specialist with the Environmental, Natural Resources and Blue Economy Global Practice for Western and Central Africa. He has led a range of operations in Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change as well as sector and policy dialogue across many countries in West Africa. Prior to joining the Bank, he consulted for several international donor agencies including EU, DFID, African Development Bank, UN system, national governments and academia. From 2001 to 2004, he served as a researcher and senior researcher at the Center for Criminal Justice Economics and Psychology, University of York, UK.