The Honorable David MacRae, retiring Head of Delegation of the European Union in Nigeria and current member of the Board of Trustees of American University of Nigeria, will become Executive Vice President of University Relations and Development of AUN as of October 1, 2013.
“We are honored and delighted that Ambassador MacRae has agreed to join our executive team,” said AUN President Margee Ensign. As a member of the Board of Trustees since 2011, Ambassador MacRae has provided us with invaluable counsel and support. His reputation, in-depth knowledge of Nigeria and commitment to AUN has been and will continue to be of enormous benefit to the University. As Executive Vice President of University Relations and Development, he will play a key role at AUN, whose mission is to be the first Development University in Africa.
“Ambassador MacRae is held in high regard by colleagues throughout the country and around the world and understands the myriad challenges faced by this young Democracy,” continued President Ensign. “The Ambassador recently spearheaded a 5-year plan aimed at improving governance, public service delivery and acceleration of progress throughout Nigeria with the support of the World Bank, UNICEF and Nigerian state governments.”
Ambassador MacRae said he is looking forward to expanding his role at the University. “Nigeria and the EU share common values and ideals; both believe in peace and security, equality, democracy, and tolerance as ways of developing prosperous and generous societies. I look forward to working with Dr. Ensign and this impressive University which supports and shares these important values.”
Ambassador MacRae holds an Honorary Doctorate Degree from AUN and inaugurated AUN’s Diplomats Lecture Series.
Ambassador MacRae was educated at Bolton School and Leeds University in northern England, where he obtained a doctorate. He received further education at the Institute for Development Studies in the University of Nairobi, Kenya. After serving as a faculty member in Economics in Leeds, he became an Economic Adviser to the UK Government. He subsequently joined the European Commission and worked on programs in Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean, and in Africa. He served as Economic Advisor in the EU Delegation in Zambia from 1985 to1988.
Dr. MacRae served as Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation in Papua New Guinea from 1992 to 1996, and in Fiji, from where he also covered most of the other Pacific Islands from 1996 to 2000. He was Head of Unit at European Commission headquarters in Brussels from 2001 to 2004 where he was responsible for Asian programs.
Before coming to Nigeria in 2010, Ambassador MacRae served for five years as Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation in Rwanda. He is also the EU’s Ambassador to the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Founded in 2003, the American University of Nigeria (AUN) is Africa’s first development university. It is inspired by the Founder Atiku Abubakar’s vision that knowledge acquired must be applied to benefit all people. Located in Yola, AUN is the only private, co-educational American-style university in Sub-Saharan Africa. All students are required to participate in AUN’s development projects that range from literacy training using ICT to the Adamawa Peacemakers Initiative to the Farm School for Agricultural Entrepreneurship. AUN is training young Africans to assume the leadership of their societies through a dynamic development process that is based on the enduring values of Africa’s vibrant cultures and rich past.
