Fellowship Welcomes New Faculty Member

According to Ireporter Online, the fellowship will be held in Kigali, Rwanda, where 23 fellows drawn from 18 African countries will participate in an intensive leadership programme focused on systems transformation, strategic collaboration, and African-led development.

The Elevate Africa Fellowship was established to address a significant challenge in Africa’s development landscape by providing stronger support systems, visibility, and networking opportunities for mid-career leaders who are already delivering measurable impact in various sectors.

The programme is built on the conviction that Africa’s progress will be accelerated not by isolated efforts, but by a connected network of leaders capable of reshaping systems, fostering partnerships, and telling Africa’s story through credible, homegrown leadership.

Ekpo, founder of The Discovery Centre, has spent more than two decades equipping emerging and established leaders across Africa, Europe, North America, and Central America with the tools to navigate leadership, personal transformation, identity, and execution. Much of her work has been driven through her acclaimed annual conference, The Blueprint of How, which has become a flagship platform for leadership and transformation over the past decade.

She was a member of the inaugural cohort of the Mandela Washington Fellowship under former U.S. President Barack Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). She was later recognised as a Goodwill Ambassador and Honorary Citizen of the State of Arkansas in the United States.

Through The Discovery Centre, Ekpo has trained thousands of entrepreneurs, professionals, policymakers, and changemakers in behavioural intelligence, leadership clarity, and sustainable transformation. Her work combines leadership, psychology, storytelling, and execution to help individuals and organisations convert ideas into measurable outcomes.

In 2025, she became the first recipient of the Outstanding Contribution Alumni Award from University of Southampton, marking a historic milestone in the institution’s 163-year history. The recognition honoured her contributions to female empowerment, organisational leadership, and lasting social impact.

Her signature seminar, The Blueprint of How, now in its tenth year, was also shortlisted for the British Council Awards for Social Impact in Nigeria, acknowledging the programme’s substantial socio-economic contributions across Africa.

This year, Ekpo joins a distinguished faculty lineup that has previously featured respected African leaders including Yemi Osinbajo, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, Vusi Thembekwayo, and Veda Sunassee.

Her appointment underscores her growing influence in leadership development, behavioural transformation, systems thinking, and human-centred design, further cementing her position as one of Africa’s leading voices in personal and institutional transformation.