Mr. Kashim Musa Tumsah, MFR, a detribalised Nigerian, is a 52 year old indigene of Yobe State. He is one of the few Nigerian professionals who is a diplomat, petroleum lawyer, farmer and a Boundary expert.

Mr. Tumsah, MFR had his primary education in Maiduguri and attended the prestigious Kings College Lagos for his secondary education. He obtained his first degree in Law from the University of Maiduguri and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1989, winning three prizes as best student in civil and criminal procedures, respectively. Thereafter, he attended the University of Dundee, Scotland where he obtained a Masters degree in Resources Law and Policy, passing with Distinction. In the course of his career development, he also attended the Foreign Service Academy, Lagos and an Executive Leadership programme at the Harvard Business School, Boston etc.

Mr. Tumsah, MFR is currently the Executive Director, Finance and Administration and Secretary of the Board and Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) at the Nigeria-Sao Tome and Principe Joint Development Authority (JDA). The JDA is a bilateral organisation established by the Governments of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe to manage the hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon resources in the maritime boundary of the two countries.

Prior to his appointment as JDA’s Executive Director, Mr. Tumsah, MFR had served as the Legal Assistant to Minister of State Petroleum and Mineral Resources, and subsequently worked in the Nigerian Foreign Service, National Boundary Commission – his last position there was Coordinator, Special Projects. He was also the pioneer Legal Adviser and Honorary Secretary of the Board of the JDA (2002-2005), Vice Chairman, Gulf of Guinea Consulting Limited (2006-2010).

Mr. Tumsah, MFR in his professional assignment had participated in several meetings and negotiations on the demarcation of Nigerian international land and maritime boundaries with Niger, Benin Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe and Cameroon. He was also a member of the Nigeria-Sao Tome and Principe Joint Development Zone (JDZ) Joint Planning Committee, as well as Secretary/Counsel of the Nigeria Legal/Expert team for the Nigeria vs. Cameroon Boundary dispute case at the International Court of Justice, the Hague, amongst others. In 2007, he was the Lead Consultant for the production of all the Administrative Procedures and working documents of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, Luanda, Angola.

Mr. Tumsah, MFR has over the years attended several courses, seminars and workshop on Oil and Gas, Boundary matters and negotiations in the United States of America, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and Africa. He is a member of various professional bodies, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA); the Petroleum and Mineral Law Society, U.K.; the Energy Institute, London; Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN), as well as the International Bar Association (IBA). He is also currently the Chairman of Alegre Integrated Farms Limited.

In recognition of his contributions in the negotiation and delimitation of Nigeria’s Land and Maritime Boundaries, he was conferred with the Nigerian national Honour of Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) in 2004. Prior to this award, the Equatorial Guinea Government had conferred on him the Honour of Cabalero de la Order Merito Civil, for his role in the negotiation and delimitation of the Nigerian-Equatorial Guinea Maritime Boundary in March 2002.

Mr. Tumsah, MFR is happily married with children. He is a great lover of sports, general arts (theatre, films, history) and an avid nature watcher.