Theme: Ignite

TEDxUgwunobamkpaRd is an independently organized TED event under an authorized license from TED. It is being organized this year for the first time in the historic City of Onitsha with the aim to make the youth involved in the spectrum of IDEAS WORTH SPREADING. With our theme “Ignite”, we hope to present a new path for sustainable development, Speakers will challenge preconceived ideas, spark discussion, engage the youth and shed light on a new perspective to switch the narrative and solve our current problems as a community and country at large.
Ugwunaobamkpa is the longest indigenously named road running through the ancient metropolitan city of Onitsha. A city where ideas like the Onitsha Market Series, the legends of Chima, Eze Awume, Oreze, Eze Goes to School, the Zikist Pan Africanism sprung forth. An esoteric region from which creativity sallies forth at will, creativity that inspired Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and greatly influenced the
African Writers Series.

GRA
Onitsha
Onitsha, Anambra, 90110
Nigeria

Chief Uche Nworah

Chief Uche Nworah Ph.D is an experienced public sector repositioning, media, management, marketing communications and branding professional trained in Nigeria and Europe. He holds the following academic qualifications: -Bachelor of Arts (B.A) degree in Communication Arts from the University of Uyo (2nd Class Upper). -Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree in Marketing from the University of Nigeria (Enugu Campus). -Certificate in German language from Volks Hoch Schule (VHS), Dusseldorf, Germany. -Master of Arts (M.A) degree in Educational Research from the University of Greenwich, London. -Master of Science (M.Sc) degree in Mass Communication from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). -Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree in Marketing from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam (formerly Anambra State University). Chief Uche Nworah, Ph.D studied advertising professionally and obtained professional certificate and Diploma in advertising from the Business Education Examinations Council (BEEC), the representative examination body of the United Kingdom - based CAM (Communication, Advertising and Marketing) Foundation in Nigeria. He won the BEEC Best Advertising Student in Nigeria award in 1991. In the course of his professional life, Chief Uche Nworah, Ph.D was at various times: -Senior Consultant, Leading Edge Consulting Ltd, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria. -Head, Public Relations & Events at Sunrise D’Arcy Lagos, an affiliate agency of the D’Arcy, Massius, Benton & Bowles (DMBB) global advertising agency network. -Visiting lecturer in Advertising and Promotions at the University of East London, London, United Kingdom. -Senior Lecturer in Marketing Communications and Business Strategy at the London Metropolitan University Business School, London, United Kingdom. -Manager, Corporate Affairs, and later Group Head of Human Capital Development/Chief Learning Officer at Oceanic Bank International Plc where he headed the Oceanic Leadership Academy. -General Manager, Globacom (Nigeria’s second largest telecommunications network), where he was responsible for Out -of -Home (OOH) media/Outdoor advertising acquisitions, advertising campaign deployments and overall management of Globacom's multi-billion Naira outdoor advertising assets. Chief Uche Nworah, Ph.D was appointed the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS Radio /TV, Awka & Onitsha) in July 2014 to serve until March 2022. He is the author of 4 books which are available on amazon.com, and numerous professional and academic essays. Nworah is a public speaker, and member of several professional associations including: Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), United Kingdom, Member of The Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Member of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC), Fellow of the Institute of Place Management (IPM), United Kingdom etc.

Chuma Anagbado

Chuma is a multi-talented artist & designer whose work cuts across traditional, digital, and emerging creative mediums. In his societally reformative work, Chuma continually reimagines functional ways of using both material and non-material aspects of Igbo existence in designing new structures and narratives to build a sense of identity and community. He uses ancient Uli motifs, idioms, symbols, folklore, values, function, objects, representations, materiality, and technology in creating art, furniture, spaces, experiences and enterprise. Chuma is the co-founder of Aziza Design; Nigeria’s 1st multidisciplinary design firm, Mbari Uno; a social enterprise focused on human capacity development and the Nigeria NFT community. He is the founder of Lizaad, Afrocentric furniture & lifestyle brand.

Emeka Mba

Emeka Mba (@xaviernkem) currently heads QuestechMedia Consulting, a Media & Entertainment consulting practice that has 30 years of experience in the converged fields of media, entertainment, technology, and regulatory policy management. He is considered by many of his peers as a leading visionary and thinker on the role of government policy and technology in shaping the trajectory and growth of the sector and its impact on social and economic development. Emeka served for three years as Director-General/CEO of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Nigeria’s broadcasting regulator. In that time, he worked to lay the groundwork for the new national digital ecosystem and successfully raised funding for the analog to digital television transition. In 2015, Emeka was awarded the African Regulator for his ground-breaking work in the sector. He served two terms as the Director-General of the National Film Video Censors Board (NFVCB), responsible for regulating films and video works distribution and exhibition in Nigeria. Before that, for nine years, he worked at MultiChoice Nigeria as head of Regulatory Affairs, and Local Programming helped conceive and facilitate the launch of the continent’s first satellite movie channel, “AfricaMagic,” on the DStv bouquet.

Erica Freemantle

Erica Freemantle is a Life Coach, Entrepreneur, Global Beauty Strategist, Counsellor, Property Expert, School Governor and Diversity Champion. Eryca is known to many as a leading figure her resilience and ability to keep going makes her an inspiration to women. With over 35 years’ experience in the business sector, she has carved out a career as a leading expert, diversity specialist, educator, public speaker, wealth creation and a conscientious businesswoman. A proud Black woman, Eryca has played a key role in influencing businesses to rethink their strategies on inclusion; her most notable campaign being the creation of ‘Embracing All Tones of Women’. E.A.T.O.W., which launched at the Houses of Parliament in England. She is in demand across the globe including England, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Gambia, Dubai, Turkey & USA. She has spent the last 15 years dedicating her life to building solid relationships in Africa. From a young age she has battled bullying, abuse & a horrific car accident which left her without hair and she almost lost her leg too. Most people would give up after this amount of pain, but not Eryca. Dedicating most of her adult life to fighting for her seat at the table as Black women in the UK she continues to champion women of colour. As every door closes, she finds more doors to knock on and continues to fight for every woman to be the best they can be in their chosen field, irrespective of skin colour. Her fierce resilience and caring personality has inspired women of all ages to be the best they can be, and through her coaching & mentoring, she supports others to overcome issues which holds them back from taking the next steps on their journey to be the best version of themselves.

Ifeanyi Egbunike Chukwuma

Dr. Ifeanyi Egbunike-Chukwuma is currently a Director of Pharmacy Services, with over 30 years of experience in several clinical and ambulatory care pharmacy practices. During this time, she has advanced pharmacy practice by developing and implementing pharmacy programs that improved patient care. She chairs and serves on multiple committees in local and national pharmacy professional organizations; she is board certified in both pharmacotherapy and ambulatory care pharmacy practices and a recipient of various awards in teaching and practice excellence. In 2021, she was named Leader of the Year for the University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus. Dr. Egbunike-Chukwuma spent the early years of her professional career in academia, serving as program director, department chair, Associate Professor, and dissertation adviser for over 75 students. She has presented over 300 papers at local, national, and international conferences and published over 100 abstracts and full-length papers on a variety of clinically oriented topics . She is an invited keynote speaker & panelist on various topics. Dr. Egbunike-Chukwuma is the co-founder of Ikporo Onitsha USA, serves on the board of directors of Onitsha Advancement Foundation, Arise World Ministries, Ikporo Onitsha USA Organization, and holds leadership positions in several social clubs and local cultural organizations. She is an active member of St. Bernadine’s Catholic Church, Baltimore, Maryland, a women’s club, and catholic daughters of America. Enyi Nwaezekabie Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwuma is the fifth child of Ugonabo Nnanyelugo Jas Obi Egbunike and Enyi Makuachukwu Theresa Egbunike, a member of the prestigious Otu-Odu Society of Onitsha, married Ugonnabo Akunne Ernest Chukwuemeka Chukwuma and a proud mother of five beautiful children. She's Interested in preserving and advancing Onicha culture and her people, diversity, equity and inclusion, women and youth empowerment, teaching, workforce and community development, environmental sustainability, health care delivery, and access, especially for people with disabilities, and expanding the scope of pharmacy practice.

Ike Lord Aligo

Ogbuefi Aligo also known as Aligo Mmanwụ is an Ace radio broadcaster. Aligo Mmanwụ has been around the broadcast industry for about 25 years now. He learned the ropes through ABS Radio and Minaj Systems Television before he proceeded to University of Nigeria Nsukka where he got a diploma in Health and Physical Education for his love of sports and a degree in Dramatic Arts. He even went further to acquire a professional certificate in Cinematography from National Film Institute Jos before relocating back to his hometown of Onitsha to delve fully into the broadcast industry. Before Aligo Mmanwụ came back to Onitsha, he was one of those that pioneered Franco FM Radio on campus at the University of Nigeria Nsukka in 2001. Since his comeback to Onitsha, he has worked with Radio JFM Asaba, NTA Channel 35 Onitsha and now Sports Radio 88.9 Brila FM Onitsha. Ogbuefi Aligo is also a natural leader who has a rare talent of leading from the front. He had revived a dying Onitsha branch of the University of Nigeria Alumni Association and gave it life again. He was a leader of that branch for about 5 years and even hosted a NEC meeting of the worldwide movement. Ogbuefi Aligo has the penchant for building a formidable castle from the scratch out of nothing. He is also the Theatrical Director of the Golibe Festival Recitals and Theatre. Aligo Mmanwụ is a broadcast content creator, a visionary, a writer, a dramatist, an actor trainer, an art critic, political commentator, Igbo cultural aficionado, Igbo language expert, communication arts teacher and above all an African Chief. His hobbies are reading and writing and researching into Igbo cosmology and spirituality. Noise is a turn off for him any time any day.

Jennifer Kwentoh Anionwu

Jennifer Kwentoh Anionwu @jennifazor obtained a first degree in information and communication engineering (BEng) from Covenant University. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Computer Science from Arizona State University. Jennifer has over six years of experience in software engineering. She has contributed to building and leading engineering teams. In 2018 she started the women in machine learning and data science (WiMLDS) community in Abuja, Nigeria. The community so far has empowered more than a thousand women in the machine learning and data science field through knowledge-sharing meetups and education. Jennifer has contributed immensely to building the Machine Learning community in Nigeria. She is passionate about creating ethical Artificial Intelligence solutions that drive social good (AI4Good).

Lily Ugbaja

Lily Ugbaja is a full-time Blogger, Strategist, Digital Marketing Consultant, and Trainer. She currently works as a Content Marketing Manager at Animalz, -a renowned content marketing agency based in New York. One of the fastest rising Africans within her niche, she has been featured on the famous Authority Magazine, as well as the US distributed Link2Us Magazine, among others. Her work has also appeared on notable sites like Content Marketing Institute, Fit Small Business, OptinMonster, Blogging Wizard, and lots more. Through her platform RemoteBadass, she challenges Nigerian youths to look beyond their limits and focus on finding masked advantages. She's devoted to helping young people find financial freedom through their passion.

Michael Ifeanyi Orekyeh

Michael Orekyeh is a COREN registered engineer (REng.) a Corporate Member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (MNSE), the Nigeria Institution of Metallurgical, Mining and Materials Engineers (MNIMMME), the Nigeria Institution of Mechanical Engineers (MNIMechE) an Associate of the Nigeria Institute of Management (ANIM), and a Chartered Project Manager. He obtained a BSc. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from the University of Lagos and also holds a Post Graduate Degree (PGD) in Project Management from the Chartered Institute of Project Management (CIPM), Ghana. His varied experience covering 20 years has seen him work in such organizations as First Atlantic Bank (now part of FCMB), Platinum Bank and Bank PHB (now Keystone Bank), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), a stint as an Industrial Trainee (IT) at Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) GEE7 Property and Investment, Baun Skills Consult and Kimavi Christopher Consulting. He was given the opportunity to serve Anambra State by Governor Willie Obiano FCA, KCSG at different time as: • Special Assistant to the Governor, Mineral Resources • Special Assistant to the Governor, Materials Testing Laboratory • Chief Operating Officer (COO) Anambra Information and Communications Technology Agency (ANSICTA) and Special Assistant on ICT He has served as a regular juror for entrepreneurship entries and projects during the Growth and Employment Project (GEM), a World Bank Funded Project of the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment. He is the founder and a Trustee of the South East Society of Professionals (SESOP) now called Society of Igbo Professionals (SIP) and was the key driver of the Committee in SESOP that conceived the Ndi-Igbo Values Initiative (NVI). An analyst and avid reader, he is a noted active participant in the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) movement in Nigeria. Michael is the founder and Coordinator of MOrek STEM Network which organizes the annual STEM Fair Anambra (an exhibition of youthful innovators and inventors) and has helped the Young Scientist Center organize the World Space Week, Anambra successfully for 2 years in a row. Egional Town Hall Meeting of the Nigeria Startup Bill (NSB). He is a passionate trainer with interests in Leadership, Finance, Personal Development, Project Management, Product Development, Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Michael is the pioneer chairman of the Awka Chapter of NIMMME. He is happily married with children.

Nn’emeka Maduegbuna

Nn’emeka Maduegbuna is the Chairman of C&F Porter Novelli, the West African partner of Porter Novelli, the award-winning, global purpose communications consultancy. Nn’emeka brings three decades plus of experience in strategic communications planning, corporate positioning, and reputation management, and extensive practice in the areas of issues and crisis management, and litigation communications. Recognized as one of the leading Public Relations practitioners in the West African sub-region, he has led consulting teams on complex communications programs covering such sectors as energy, oil & gas, financial services, telecommunications, technology, pharmaceuticals, and fast-moving consumer goods, to mention a few. Before co-founding C&F Porter Novelli, he was a senior functionary of the Nigerian Government’s privatization agency: Technical Committee on Privatisation and Commercialization, later Bureau of Public Enterprises, where he set up and managed the Corporate Communications & Marketing functions for nine years. Before embarking on a career in Public Relations at Union Securities Limited, an investment holding company, Nn’emeka worked for the Nigerian Television Authority Network News (NTA News) as a reporter, producer, documentary filmmaker, and anchor person. He was the first Business Correspondent of the Network Besides his professional pursuits, he is engaged in a number of volunteering endeavours, serving on the board of Stroke Action which focuses on the provision of stroke advocacy, training, prevention, rehabilitation, ongoing care and support for stroke survivors and carers, and as trustee of Women Information Network (WINET) that works towards the dissemination of information to promote gender equality, women’s rights, human and political rights and ensure that Nigerian women and girls have access to information that will enable them to make informed decisions. In his native Onitsha , he is a member of the executive board of the Onitsha Advancement Foundation (OnAF) an entity promoted by the Onitsha Traditional Council, for purposes of creating and helping the development of an Economic Empowerment Programme.

Obanye Frances Chizoba

Obanye Frances Chizoba @chizzyfrancess, a resilient and hardworking personality. A lady with so much grace and divine who, despite the curveball life threw at her, has not stopped in her life's pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. Chizoba, an Acid burn survivor gruesomely attacked by her Uncle's wife, has got a story to tell of how she pulled through life's arduous journey.

Obi Asika

Obi Asika is a leading advocate for Nigerian and African Soft power. He is the founder of an innovation & creative hub in Onitsha. Obi Asika attended Eton College, the University of Warwick. He is the Co-Convener of the AfricaSoftPower Project, which focuses on unlocking value in those spaces. He has pioneered several media projects like Big Brother Nigeria, The Apprentice Africa, Dragons Den Nigeria, etc. He also co-founded Social Media Week Lagos, one of the most significant new media and technology conferences in Africa. Obi Asika is known as one of the key people that unlocked the Nigerian music and entertainment industry with his record label and production company, Storm records and Storm 360 and the production of the major reality formats and live events.

Ozioma Anieto

Ozioma Anieto also known as Ozii Baba was born and bred in Onitsha - Anambra State, Ozii Baba is the founder of Ajambele: An African Storytelling platform that recreates African ballads and reviews African historical events. His collection of African Stories: 'How The Monkey Got Justice' was published in 2018. Ozii Baba Anieto lives in Onitsha.

PROF. SOGBESAN OLUSEGUN OLUDAPO

PROFESSOR SOGBESAN OLUSEGUN OLUDAPO, Principal Consultant at Strong Tower Consults International limited. He is the Director General at Onitsha Business School @onitshabusinessschool, Anambra State, Coordinator-General at Academy for Governance Ibusa, Oshimili North Local Government Area, Delta State. He is the International Coordinator, NexconAfrica. A think tank member of UTOMI group. He studied at EGS University, Paris, France. Rome Business School, Italy. The Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, Studied at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, University of Lagos, University of Ibadan. For their secondary school studies, he went to Ayepe High school, Ayepe Ijebu. Ogun State. He is a United Nations Ambassador Mentoring over 550 young CEOS. Prof. Olusegun has Presented/ Publisher numerous papers. Established over 300 SME Recipient of so many Awards ( local and International). Member of Notable Professional Bodies. He currently lives in Onitsha, Prof hails from Ago- Iwoye, Ijebu, Ogun state; Prof is married with wonderful Sons and Daughters.

Victor Chike Agbakoba

Victor Chike Agbakoba @victorchike (BSc. (Hons) the University of Abuja, Hons (BSc), MSc (cum laude) Nelson Mandela University) Victor, a native of Onitsha (Umuasele Village). He received a Master of Science (MSc) Chemistry degree (cum laude) at Nelson Mandela University (South Africa) in 2018. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree with research focused on the production and application of cellulosic bio-nano composites in 3D printing. This research is fully funded by South Africa’s Department of Science and Innovation (DSI). An author of research articles and book chapters, Victor is presently affiliated with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR – South Africa) and the Centre for Rubber Science and Technology (CRST - Nelson Mandela University). Some of Victor’s hobbies include photography, swimming, cycling, and a friendly game of squash.