Africa’s projected population explosion can be a blessing –not a curse, if public policy meets preparation. Listen to Chinwe Okoli, founder of Grand Africa Initiative on Episode 7 of Impact Africa as she shares actionable solutions for the youth and policy makers.
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Chinwe Okoli is an expert in building innovation ecosystems and integrating academia on the concept of triple helix model. Her experience spans business incubation/acceleration, angel investor networks, research commercialization and setting up innovation hubs and science parks. She is the Founder of Grand Africa Initiative, a pan-African organisation that grooms, empowers and mentors (GEM) the youth to explore their unique talents in education, entrepreneurship and innovation with special attention to girls and youths in the rural communities.
As a professional Economist and Public Policy Analyst, she understands the importance of promoting innovation among the youth as a catalyst for sustainable development in the era of the 4th industrial revolution. She has been actively involved in building a vibrant innovation ecosystem in Africa through her work. She was the Manager of Roar Nigeria and the Pioneer Manager of Lion Science Park, the first university-embedded innovation hub and Science Park in West Africa respectively. She is actively involved in innovation networks in Nigeria and Africa.
Following her experience in building innovation ecosystems in Africa, she has participated in many international innovation events such as the Startup Summit by Facebook; F8 2019 by Facebook at the Silicon Valley, USA; IASP World Conferences in Europe and Middle East; and African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Business Summit. She has also contributed to global high level policy influencing discussions on innovation and entrepreneurship as a Guest speaker in Nigeria, France, United Kingdom, Ethiopia, Senegal and Kenya.