Ndidi Nwuneli, eagle-eyed catalyst, exceptional leader and entrepreneur, is 50

Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli is the President/CEO of the ONE Campaign, a global advocacy organisation that fights for equity and justice, and the investments to ensure economic opportunities and healthy lives in Africa. ONE has teams operating in nine countries, including the United States, where Ndidi is currently based. She has over 27 years of international development experience and is a recognized serial entrepreneur, author, public speaker, and consultant.

Nwuneli serves on the Boards of the Rockefeller Foundation, Chanel Foundation, Stanbic IBTC Group, the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum, and the Bridgespan Group. She previously served on the Boards of Nestle Nigeria Plc., Nigerian Breweries Plc. (Heineken), Godrej Consumer Products India, AGRA, the World Vegetable Center, BusinessDay Newspapers, Helios Fairfax Africa Holdings Canada, Cornerstone Insurance Plc., the African Philanthropy Forum and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) Switzerland. She also served on the global sustainability Boards of Royal Dutch DSM and Shell, and the global advisory Board for USAID.

Nwuneli started her career as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, working in Chicago, New York, and Johannesburg. She returned to Nigeria in 2000 to serve as the pioneer executive director of FATE Foundation, supporting young entrepreneurs to start and scale their businesses. In 2002, she established LEAP Africa to inspire, empower, and equip a new cadre of principled, disciplined, and dynamic young leaders in Africa. In the same year, she established NIA to support female university students in Nigeria to achieve their highest potential.

Between 2008 and 2024, Ndidi focused exclusively on transforming the African agriculture and nutrition landscape. Through her work as the co-founder and Chair of Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition, she partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Dutch Government, GIZ, USAID, ECOWAS, Syngenta, and a range of private and public sector organizations to implement ecosystem solutions in the African agriculture and food landscapes. As the co-founder of AACE Foods, which produces a range of packaged spices, seasonings, and cereals for local and international markets,

A recipient of several awards, Ndidi Nwuneli is the author of ‘Social Innovation in Africa: A Practical Guide for Scaling Impact’ and ‘Food Entrepreneurs in Africa: Scaling Resilient Agriculture Businesses’ both published by Routledge. She is also the author of “Working for God in the Marketplace,” and contributed a chapter to “For the World’s Profit: How Business can Support Sustainable Development,” published by the Brookings Institute in 2025.

She holds an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree with honours from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She was a Senior Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Centre for Business & Government at the Harvard Kennedy School, a visiting Scholar at Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University, an Aspen Institute New Voices Fellow, and an Eisenhower Fellow. Ndidi is a dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria.

How have your experiences with the ONE Campaign shaped your perspectives on global advocacy for Africa, particularly in areas like economic opportunities and health?

The ONE Campaign is a global advocacy organisation which fights for equity and justice and the investments to ensure economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa. Our vision is that Africa is an equal player on the global stage. Over our 20-year history, ONE has worked with critical stakeholders to galvanize over $1Trillion in investments, leveraging hard-hitting data, trusted messengers, government engagement, and creative campaigns, working through nine offices around the globe. With changing geopolitics, significant retreat on overseas development assistance, and greater fragmentation, our fight has gotten more difficult. However, we are undeterred and strongly believe that this is the time for Africans to rise and collectively demand what we want, not what the world thinks we need. As Africans, we must drive inclusive and sustainable growth in our continent by creating an enabling policy environment, attracting catalytic and patient capital that is priced fairly for public and private sector investments, and supporting the emergence of a strong civil society that ensures transparency and accountability in the use of funds, so that no one is left behind.

You serve on numerous Boards and committees. How do you prioritise and balance these responsibilities while ensuring impactful contributions to each organisation?

It has been a privilege to serve on local and global Boards, and I have been careful to only accept opportunities that match my values and interests. I have gained significant knowledge and built valuable relationships from these Boards, and also contributed my own unique perspectives. Given my global role at ONE, I had to step off a few Boards in 2024 and for the remaining ones, I have sometimes chosen to engage in some meetings virtually, to minimise travel time, and ensure that I can actively engage without sacrificing some of my other commitments.

With over 27 years in international development, what major changes have you observed in global development approaches towards Africa, and what future trends do you foresee?

There are three main shifts that I have observed: 1) A growing retreat from our traditional allies in Europe and North America, and a greater interest and engagement from Asia and the Middle East. 2) A growing recognition of the size and power of our youth population – either as a threat from a migration or conflict lens or as an asset from the workforce of the future – technology, creative industry potential lens 3) A growing recognition of the need for African agency – with the African Union having a seat on the G20 and South Africa hosting the G20 in 2025, for the first time in history, we have the opportunity to shape the future we desire.

It is important to note that there is still this negative narrative that we are struggling to shake off – The face of Africa being perceived as a hungry child, and the face of poverty being a female farmer. This narrative reinforces the danger of a single story and truly limits the global community from fully appreciating the breadth, depth, and complexity of the beauty, innovation, and impact of our Continent. I have been working to change this narrative and to showcase our historic, current, and future contributions to the world. We all have a part to play in shifting the narrative – through our words, actions and the stories that we share!

In your journey with the ONE Campaign and other organisations, what are some key challenges you have faced, and how have you navigated them successfully?

In my 27-year professional journey, I have faced many challenges which have all proved to be wonderful learning opportunities. For example, in many contexts, I am still the only black woman or African at the table. I have had to prove myself repeatedly, by showing up with confidence, courage, authenticity, integrity, and excellence. For example, to be respected in the food, agriculture, and nutrition landscape, I had to immerse myself in the sector, gain valuable experience as a practitioner, build successful organisations, and then write books and articles about the insights that I had gained. This has enabled me to garner respect in rooms filled with globally recognised experts from the same sector. These experiences have reinforced my conviction that my Godfidence (my faith in God as my anchor), a commitment to consistently showing up with our “A-Game,” and surrounding ourselves with champions, critics, mentors, and role models keep us grounded and resilient, even in the face of great obstacles.

From founding LEAP Africa and NIA Project, what have been some significant lessons learnt about empowering young leaders and women in Africa?

While we have made some progress in the quest for gender equality and youth empowerment over the past 24 years, especially with the emergence of a plethora of organizations working in this landscape, to provide training, financial and market access and to shape policies. Through my work, I have learnt many things. I will share just three:

Representation matters: When you have a seat in the room, use it wisely, with courage and boldness. Some of us are so happy to be in the room that we do not show up with our best selves. I walk into every room knowing that I am carrying the dreams and hopes of my ancestors, and my children and grandchildren – and that they expect me to fight for them. This is a great burden to carry, but it is the reality. There are still so few of us in many spaces globally, and we need to occupy the space and change the landscape to ensure that there are many more of the best of us in rooms and that we change the status quo.

Be the first, but not the last: In every role that I have gotten, I have tried to ensure that I appoint a brilliant and capable young person or woman as my successor. Fola Adeola gave me the opportunity to run the FATE Foundation when I was only 25 years old. He took a chance on me, and gave me the mentorship, guidance and support that I need to thrive. I have tried to do the same for others via LEAP, Sahel, AACE and African Food Changemakers, and even at ONE.

No leader can go it alone: Build communities of support to learn from, grow with and rise together. I have benefitted from structured and loose sister circles – ‘Power Girl’ ‘HN Girls’ and ‘Praying Sisters’ which have nurtured and supported me, and I have tried to create similar communities for others including the Leading Women in Food Fellowship at African Food Changemakers. I strongly encourage young women to build these communities of trust and sisterhood.

There are still some “stubborn” challenges that we have to address. For example, there are persistent biases and obstacles that we continue to confront in the fight for gender equality, especially with more women enrolling in schools and occupying entry-level positions. This renewed backlash is linked to the fear that as women rise, men fall. We must actively fight this misconception and instead work diligently to ensure that both genders rise together. There is enough space for growth, economic empowerment and political agency for men and women, and that message and clear actions have to demonstrate that at all levels.

Your work has deeply impacted African agriculture and nutrition. What are the most critical issues and innovations currently shaping this field, what advice do you have for those practicing in this field as business owners and what advice do you have for the Nigerian government?

Africa is naturally endowed for agricultural excellence and has had a critical role in the evolution of the food ecosystem globally. However, faced with the multiple crises of climate change, conflict and economic instability in many of our countries, this sector continues to struggle. I strongly believe that the emergence of a new generation of entrepreneurs who leverage data, innovation and technology to start and scale sustainable businesses in the landscape will enable us to leapfrog and ensure that Africa nourishes itself and the world. Through my work with AACE Foods, Sahel Consulting and African Food Changemakers, I have supported the emergence of catalytic businesses in the landscape. My vision is that through our work, one million strong African companies will not only scale and trade with each other, but also have a global presence on shelves across the world, changing narratives about Africa – from a hungry child to a successful female entrepreneur.

To achieve impact, African governments must create an enabling policy environment that prioritises food self-sufficiency and local value addition. This requires that they protect and support local entrepreneurs, with consistent policies, concessional financing windows delivered through transparent processes and investment in local research and data ecosystems. In the Nigerian context, the government also has a critical role to play in addressing the high rates of insecurity in farmer and processing communities, and investing in infrastructure to ensure climate resilience and access to markets.

How do you measure the impact of your initiatives and organisations across such diverse sectors?

I am most humbled that God has allowed me to birth visions and to be a small part of changing lives in Africa. What gives me the greatest joy is seeing AACE Foods spices – a proudly Nigerian product in shopping isles and kitchens, when only 15 years ago, imported products were the norm. Similarly, it gives me great joy to meet LEAP alumni around the world who share how transformative the organisation was in shaping their leadership journey. However, my biggest measure of impact is that the organisations that I have founded and co-founded – LEAP Africa, Sahel Consulting, AACE Foods and African Food Changemakers, continue to thrive although I have stepped off the Boards and day-to-day management. I am so proud of the leadership, Boards and teams of these organisations. My husband – Mezuo Nwuneli has provided wonderful leadership and support through these transitions as well.

How did your early career at McKinsey & Company influence your later work in entrepreneurship and international development?

McKinsey & Company was a great training ground for me. It gave me early exposure to the power of strategic planning and equipped me with critical communication, data analysis and problem-solving skills. I was also blessed with wonderful mentors and colleagues, who have inspired and challenged me. Finally, it allowed me to gain early exposure to the social impact landscape in both South Africa and the United States, and shaped my journey in social entrepreneurship.

What future projects or goals are you passionate about pursuing within the ONE Campaign or other ventures?

The ONE Campaign is committed to fighting for the investments to ensure economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa. In 2025, under our healthy lives work, we are fighting for a full replenishment of Gavi and the Global Fund, while also leading an ecosystem effort focused on the future of health financing in Africa, designing and implementing a comprehensive road-map for African countries to fully invest in their own healthcare ecosystem.

Our work on economic growth is focused on unlocking and reducing the cost of catalytic capital, and championing policies that enable growth and jobs in the creative industries, agriculture, and critical minerals and changing narratives about Africa. We also plan on scaling our work via ONE Data and Analysis | Home, and deepening our engagement with youth through the ONE Academy, an interactive eLearning platform which will educate, equip, and mobilise one million emerging activists with the knowledge, strategies, and confidence to become powerful voices to drive real change.

How have your personal values evolved over time, and how do they align with your professional mission?

My values have largely remained consistent from when I was a young girl, rooted in my faith and my earlier spiritual encounters with God. I value integrity, authenticity, humility and hard work. These values have kept me grounded and rooted in a life of servant leadership, a commitment to make God proud and a desire to die empty – having fulfilled all that I have been called to do on this earth.

What advice would you give to young Africans aspiring to make an impact in global advocacy and development?

More than ever before we need young Africans to advocate for Africa – we need you to take your right place on local and global platforms to:

1. Commit to a life of excellence and integrity
2. Change narratives – by living and showcasing the brilliance, creativity and innovation in Africa
3. Demand for accountability and transparency on how funds are allocated and used in your country. Leverage credible data to push for effective resource allocation.

In clocking 50, what lessons have you learnt? What are you grateful for?

I thank God for life, good health, peace and joy! I am most grateful for a supportive family – my husband, Mezuo, and my children Udenna and Amara are truly gifts from God. I am also blessed with an amazing extended family – My parents, Prof. Paul and Prof. Rina Okonkwo, my four amazing siblings, their spouses and children have been my anchors – biggest cheerleaders and critics. I also have a very close-knit group of spiritual sisters, prayer partners, mentors, and sponsors who have provided guidance, support and have consistently opened doors for me. If I have seen further, it is because I am standing on the shoulders of giants.

There is so much that I have learnt, but if I had to pick one lesson, it would be “Live your life with open hands!” This lesson has at least three components:

When you open your hands – you position yourself to give and also receive. Be prepared to give your time, insights, knowledge and resources to others. Giving opens your heart to the needs of the world and also takes your eyes off your own lack. However, also be prepared to ask for help when you need it, especially as you embark on the journey of marriage and parenthood. Your vulnerability makes you human and does not detract in any way from your self-worth.

When you open your hands – you can let go a little easier – of people, projects, and linkages that are not meant for you at a particular time. This is one lesson that we often learn the hard way. As passionate people, who also love deeply, we often hold on too tightly, which can be a strength and also a weakness. In every season of your life, be sensitive to exactly who you should be spending your time with and what you should be spending your time on. Learn to let go a little easier, realizing that God places people and projects in your life for a season, a reason and a lifetime.

When you open your hands – you remain flexible to what God has in store for you. This advice is often extremely difficult for A-type personalities who like to set stretch goals and work towards achieving them. However, the sad reality is that there is never a straight path to success. Cultivating a stronger relationship with God enables you to be sensitive to the Spirit and to understand exactly where you need to be at every point in your “University of Life.” This basically means that you welcome new possibilities that God has set before you and are willing to go down a path that may often seem uncharted and unclear, but is likely the shortcut to achieving God’s plans for your life. Recognise that setbacks and failures are great learning experiences and do not define your future. Be encouraged by these truths that have helped me in my journey:

o You may not know what the future holds, but you know who holds the future!

o He who has started a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.

I wish you the very best in your life’s journey as you live with open hands – giving and receiving, letting go a little easier and remaining flexible to the best that God has in store for you!

What next?

I am letting God dream for me. I would really love to see Africa become an equal player on the global landscape and to see my children and all of Africa’s children grow up in safe and nurturing environments with great education and healthcare, and fulfill their highest potential.

Concluding words

At ONE, we believe that none of us are equal, until all of us are equal. We also believe that where you are born should not determine whether you live. As Africa faces new headwinds, Mandela’s call on a generation to be great is even more poignant today. We must be that great generation that fights for justice and equity and leaves no one behind!