The “NEW KID ON THE BLOCK”, World Africa Boxing Association (WABA) has the founding President in Onesmo Ngowi, formerly the “IBF Representative to Africa, Middle East & Persian Gulf” to assume the top most post to the revered boxing body.
Ngowi who approached IBF founding President Robert Lee Sr in New Jersey, USA in 1999 to establish the first ever IBF continental body body come along with colorful resume both in sports management and corporate fraternities.
Born in Moshi, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania and moved to Europe in his teenage life, Onesmo Ngowi has cemented credible working history as a businessman, educator, philanthropist, humanitarian and mentor. He rose from the position of the President of Tanzania Professional Boxing Commission (TPBC) in 1998 to become the founding President of the IBF/Africa from 1999 to 2019, Director of the Lindon, UK based Commonwealth Boxing Council (CBC) from 1998 to 2018, Member of the New jersey, USA based IBF World Ratings Committee from 2000 to 2019, Member of the Board of Directors of the Bangkok, Thailand based IBF Muaythai from 2017 to 2019, Founding member of the Beijing, China based the “IBF Silk-Road Boxing Championship” in 2017 and Founding member of also the Beijing, China based the “IBF Road & Belt Region (B&R) in 2017”.
Onesmo Ngowi spent over 30 years in Europe and the USA where he cut teeth and blossomed at his alma mater “The American College of Greece, Deree College” and unveiled a number of corporate entities before returning to his motherland Africa in 1989 and established the Gaborone, Botswana based “Pula Enterprises Management (Pty) LTD” in Gaborone Botswana. Prior to returning to Africa, he joined his three friends to setup one of the first private corporations in communist Hungary, the “Information Technology Bureau (ITB)” in 1988 which expanded to the Baltic States of Moldova and Latvia.
He become the funding member of the Board of Directors of the largest bank in Africa the CRDB PLC, the longest Board member of the Vocational Educational Authority and sit in the board of several educational entities both in Africa, Europe, Asia and Americas. He studied Management at the University of Harvard in Boston, Massachusetts, USA and Projects Management at UC Santa Barbara, California, USA.
In 2000 he was one of 10 people who were named for the “20th Century’s award as the “Technologist of the Century”. In 2016 the Governor of the State of Kentucky H.E. Steven Beshear named Onesmo Ngowi the Kentucky Colonel, the lifelong Ambassador of Goodwill for the Commonwealth of Kentucky for his lifelong achievements in humanitarian activities around the world. In 2017 Onesmo Ngowi was named as the recipient of “The Order of St. George North America” for his global activities to empower youth (The International Chairperson of “The Order of St. George is Queen Elizabeth II of Great Brittan).
Currently, Onesmo Ngowi represents myriad of international associations and businesses in Africa, Europe, North America and South East Asia and co-ordinate several U.S. government sponsored programs and is an Alumni of the the U.S Department of State funded Workforce Development & Empowering Youth.
He has and still sits on the Board of Directors of various companies stretching from sports, manufacturing, trading, mining, oil & gas exploration, banking, consultancy, service, education and NGOs
Ngowi has extensive knowledge on international development issues across a wide spectrum especially in Africa, Europe, North America and South East Asia