Dr. Osita Aniemeka, Champion for Entrepreneurship in Africa

In Africa, Africa Innovators and Influencers, Gamechanger19, Youth by Mary Kurek

“African Education System has surprising outcomes. The smartest students pass with 1st Class and get admission to medical & engineering schools. The 2nd Class Students get MBAs and LLBs to manage the First Class Students. The 3rd Class Students enter politics, and rule both 1st and 2nd Class Students. The failures join the Army and control politicians who, if they are not happy with, they kick or kill them. Best of all those who did not attend any school, become prophets and witch doctors, and everybody follows them.”  Attributed to the late Zimbabwean President, Comrade Dr Robert Mugabe on Education in Africa”

As Founder and President, Sub Saharan Open University (SSOU), I lead the African institution to bring disruptive learning in entrepreneurship, agropreneurship, innovations, and exponential technologies for business incubation and acceleration. SSOU emphasizes technological and scientific contents for the transformation of the African continent.”

Dr. Osita Aniemeka

In 2010, Dr. Osita Aniemeka became Full-time Faculty at Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State and, in 2011, was appointed Director of Center for Learning Communities of the same University, where his work involved global education and the establishment of the University’s Entrepreneurship Education Program.

With a Ph.D. in Communication and Entrepreneurial Leadership, Osita worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Project–NEXTT, growing the potentials for agriculture and agribusiness on the Lagos-Kano-Jibiya (LAKAJI) Corridor Agropreneurs.

Osita is a consultant to DFID-ENABLE2, and worked with UNDP | FMARD Capacity Development Trajectory of the Nigerian Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA). He was Country Director for the Nigeria Development Gateway Collaborative (World BankDevelopment Gateway Foundation) and Customer Service Agent for the legendary American Express Card in Huntsville, AL. Osita was Senior Research Fellow at the Foundation for African Arts and Letters (FAAL), New York, before returning to Nigeria to join the Faculty and Senate of IBB University.

As a member of the Global Steering Committee of the NGO Working Group on the World Bank, he represented the Africa Region and was named Man of the Year in 2002.

A skilled facilitator and capacity development specialist with expertise in entrepreneurial leadership, innovation, and change management, Osita gained extensive experience in SME development strategy, performance management, media, non-profit governance, donor relations, and public-private-dialogue/partnership, and knowledge assets management working in the United States and in Nigeria.


Publisher’s Note:  What follows is Osita’s letter to you laying out his strategy on sustainable development in Africa, starting with entrepreneurship education and moving through the other areas of challenge and possibility.  As Guest Editor and Co-Producer of this special edition of Frontrunners Innovate, we invite you to join in what Osita now labels as an “African Frontrunners” movement.  Should you wish to be part, feel free to connect with him on Linkedin. 

Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/osita-aniemeka-phd-26441b16/