2014 Fellow Ada Osakwe has been honored as one of the 2018 MIPAD Global Top 100 list. MIPAD is short for Most Influential People of African Descent, and she was selected for the Business and Entrepreneurship Category. MIPAD was started in support of the International Decade for People of African Descent by the UN. She joins two other Tutu Fellows who have been selected for this honour since MIPAD began. In 2017, Ada's 2014 classmate, Ntombenhle Khathwane, and 2013 Fellow Ally Angula, were selected.
Ada is an award-winning entrepreneur, investor and passionate African development advocate.
After working as the Senior Advisor on Investments to Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Nigeria’s former Minister of Agriculture, Ada founded Agrolay Ventures to invest in early-stage food and agribusiness companies in Africa, typically led by youth entrepreneurs. The firm has four high-growth investments, including Nuli, Nigeria’s fastest-growing farm-to-table beverage brand and restaurant chain that utilizes only locally grown agriculture produce. Ada serves as the Chief Executive of Nuli.
Ada has a proven successful track record in the private, public and development finance sectors, particularly as an investment professional. She currently serves on the Governing Board of the One Acre Fund, a global non-profit that serves over 450,000 farming families across Africa. She is a member of the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Presidential Youth Advisory Group (PYAG) and a mentor on the Future Global Leaders Fellowship Program.
Ada is also a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. In 2016, she was Entrepreneur of the Year and featured on Choiseul 100 Africa list. She received the ‘Achiever in Agriculture’ Award and in 2014, was on the Forbes 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa list.
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