Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Ndidi Nwuneli

Is it nature or nurture? 

Where do some people get the inspiration and drive to build successful organisations and companies? Ndidi Nwuneli was the first CEO of FATE Foundation, at the time, a unique organisation founded by a new crop of organisations in corporate Nigeria to foster wealth creation by training Nigerian Youth on promoting business and entrepreneurial development. Then came LEAP and NIA. NIA which stands for (Ndu - Life, Ike- Strength, Akunuba - Wealth), a nonprofit organization committed to empowering female university students to achieve their highest potential in life, while LEAP Africa provides leadership, ethics and management training and coaching for youth, business owners, social entrepreneurs and the public sector. In the last few years - Ndidi has been focusing on agribusiness and is currently a director of Sahel Capital Partners, a leading advisory firm focused on the agribusiness and manufacturing sectors, and the co-founder of AACE Foods, an agro-processing company. Countless young Africans have found direction and redefined their aspirations from Ndidi's several initiatives. She lives in Lagos and tells me she cannot imagine living anywhere else.....She is younger than you'll ever guess and a proud mother of two lovely children ...talk about challenging conventional wisdom. 


She speaks at TEDxEuston 2012  - get your ticket here! 

Ndidi Nwuneli is a director of Sahel Capital Partners, a leading advisory firm focused on the agribusiness and manufacturing sectors, and the co-founder of AACE Foods, an agro-processing company. Through her work with Sahel and AACE, she has also shaped agriculture strategy and policy and supported a range of clients in Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia. Ndidi started her career as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, working in their Chicago, New York and Johannesburg offices. She returned to Nigeria in 2000to fulfil her passion for promoting entrepreneurship and leadership development in Africa. She served as the pioneer executive director of the FATE Foundation from 2000, and then established LEAP Africa and NIA in 2002 and 2003 respectively. NIA empowers female university students to achieve their highest potential in life, while LEAP Africa provides leadership, ethics and management training and coaching for youth, business owners, social entrepreneurs and the public sector. LEAP also conducts leadership research and has published numerous books including: Defying the Odds: Case Studies of Nigerian Companies that have Survived Generations, Rage for Change and Building a Culture of Ethics. Ndidi holds a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. She was recognized as a Global Leader of Tomorrow and Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and received a National Honour, Member of the Federal Republic in 2004. Ndidi is married with two children.

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Frank Njenga

On the continent, we generally struggle with how to deal with mental illness. In the health sectors of most countries, it is the most neglected of all medical specialities. So in our search for exceptional people to share their ideas on the TEDxEuston stage we found one of Kenya's leading psychiatrists; Dr Frank Njenga. Dr Njenga has been championing the cause of better mental health care in Kenya and the continent for more than three decades. In an interview with CNN's African Voices he said;

"The truth and reality is that very little has been done systematically and deliberately by government or by ourselves to bring up the level of mental health in this part of the world,"

In Kenya, the ratio of psychiatrists to the population is one psychiatrist to half a million people....and that is probably one of the better served countries in the continent. At TEDxEuston, we will not run away from the difficult issues in our society - but we will bring to you the exceptional people that are tackling them head on - one of these is Dr Frank Njenga. He is our second ever speaker from Kenya!

Frank Njenga is a Consultant Psychiatrist in private practice in Nairobi, Kenya, where he has practiced for thirty years. He was the founder President of the African Association of Psychiatrists and Allied Professions (AAPAP). Dr Njenga was appointed by the President of Kenya to chair the (NACADA) - National Campaign Against Drug Abuse Authority Board which is the body that advices the Kenya Government on Drug and Alcohol policies. In addition to his medical practice, he is Founder Chair of the Institute of Education in Democracy (IED), an Africa wide election monitoring body, as well as active campaigner for Democracy in Africa. He is an author of many scientific papers, books and book chapters, including children’s’ books.

Get your ticket TODAY!

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Cobhams Asuquo

In an interview with CNN in 2011, Cobhams Asuquo said...

"I had sessions that were cancelled because they weren't sure I could deliver either because they thought I was too young or maybe as a blind person" 

To really challenge conventional wisdom at TEDxEuston this year, you will get to know Cobhams Asuquo, who like his long-time hero Stevie Wonder, was born visually-impaired. But, even that was not enough to stop Asuquo from realizing his ambitions.Most people heard his name for the first time when the Nigerian soul-singing sensation, Asa, burst unto the music scene in 2007, with her debut album. Cobhams wrote and co-wrote several of its hits songs. But Asuquo is not only interested in helping out fledgling music stars. He also sees himself as an ambassador for blind young Nigerians who still face many challenges in their daily lives. He told CNN that .....

"I think it would be meaningless if I can achieve as much as I can achieve and as much as I hope to achieve and I'm not able to affect other blind people,"

What makes this amazing African tick? What has created this phenomenon called Cobhams? At TEDxEuston you will not only hear about his incredible journey but you will hear that he does not think that he has come close to fulfilling his life work. If this is the only reason you come to TEDxEuston this year ...it will be worth it...that is a promise! Get your ticket HERE

Cobhams Asuquo is a singer/songwriter/music producer and music entrepreneur. After graduating from the Pacelli School for the Blind and King’s College Lagos, he started his professional training as a lawyer, but later branched out into music full-time to fulfill a lifelong desire. While working with a Nigerian music label as an in-house producer, he gained a unique insight into the local music scene. He saw the opportunities and challenges within the industry with a vision to develop an entrepreneurial platform from which to drive the industry forward. Today he is the founder and chief executive officer of Cobhams Asuquo Music Productions (CAMP). He gained international attention for producing and co-writing ‘Asa’, the debut self-titled album for the acclaimed soul singer. He was recently featured on CNN’s African Voicesfor his contribution and impact on the African music industry. Rising alternative soul artiste, Bez is the first of three artistes signed by Cobhams to the C.A.M.P record label, and Bez’s debut album ‘Super Sun’ was highlighted on The Boston Globe’s top ten list of best ‘world music’ albums of 2011. He has won several awards in the music and film scene in Africa and beyond.

REGISTER HERE TO HEAR HIM SPEAK AT TEDxEUSTON

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Aminatta Forna

Very often we read the autobiographies of politicians or other public figures. Rarely, one stumbles on an autobiography of a person that could so easily fit the the experiences of many of us that attend TEDxEuston. Aminnata's book "The Devil that Danced on the Water" is one such books. Her passionate and vivid account of her childhood during the most turbulent days on the African continent is a book impossible to forget. The The Sunday Times described it as "Enormously compelling and painful reading" and the "Economist" as"Hers is an African Memoir unlike any before it"....we could not agree more . Aminatta has gone on to publish two novels: The Memory of Love (2010) and Ancestor Stones (2006).

Aminatta Forna was born in Glasgow, raised in Sierra Leone and Britain and also spent periods of her childhood in Iran, Thailand and Zambia. She is a serially award-winning author and her work has been translated into more than a dozen languages, including Mandarin. Aminatta has written essays and articles for Granta, The Times, The Observer and Vogue among others and has written for television and radio. In 2003 she established the Rogbonko Project to build a school in a village in Sierra Leone, where she now oversees a number of projects in the spheres of education, sanitation, maternal health and agriculture. Aminatta sits on the Board of the National Theatre of Great Britain, on the General Committee of the Royal Literary Fund and the Advisory Committee of the Caine Prize for African Writing. She has acted as judge for a number of literary awards and is currently a judge of the 2013 International Man Booker Prize. Most recently Sterling Brown Distinguished Visiting Professor at Williams College, Massachusetts, where she taught African literature.

You will not want to miss this fascinating African at TEDxEuston 2012. Tickets are flying off the shelf! Get yours today HERE

Introducing TEDxEuston 2012 Speakers - Amina Az-Zubair

Public sector leaders in many African countries, more so in Nigeria receive a lot of criticism from a citizenry eager for development, and frustrated that our public sector is not keeping up with the pace of development occurring in the private sectors. Once in a while, a leader emerges in the public sector and there is almost complete agreement in his/her competence and sincerity of purpose in service. One such person is Amina Az-Zubair. It is no surprise therefore that  Mrs Az-Zubair served 3 Nigerian Presidents as a Senior Special Assistant to the President on the Millennium Development Goals, coordinating the expenditure of Debt Relief Funds (US $1bn p.a) aimed at achieving the MDGs in Nigeria. Prior to this, she was the National Coordinator for Education for All in Nigeria (2001-2005). She currently serves on numerous International advisory panels and boards, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the UN Global Sustainability Panel and Chairs the Advisory Board of the UNESCO Global Monitoring Report on Education.

Amina Az-Zubair is currently the founder and CEO of the Centre for Policy Research and Development Solutions (CPRDS), a think-tank aiming to address the policy and knowledge gaps in Development. She is also an adjunct Professor at Columbia University, New York. Just a few days ago, the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, appointed Mrs Amina Az-Zubair as his Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning. In 2010, Bill Gates invited her to speak at a special session he organised at the TED conference.

So why do presidents, UN Secretaries and business leaders all want Mrs Az-Zubair to lead the work on women and children on their behalf? What makes Amina Az-Zubair deliver where others stumble. What makes Amina Az-Zubair challenge conventional wisdom on public sector leadership in Africa? 

There's only one place to find out - on the TEDxEuston stage! You will not want to miss it. Tickets are selling out fast - save the date - December 1 2012, get a ticket today!. It will be the best present you get yourself this year... that's a promise!

Find out more about TEDxEuston and all the other speakers HERE. 

Registration opens for TEDxEuston 2012

It is that time of the year again...as we open registration for our biggest TEDxEuston yet!


Visit our brand new website to read the profiles of 13 exciting speakers who are challenging conventional wisdom on the continent. From the arts to archaeology, from social venture fund managers to social entrepreneurs, from newspaper publishers to digital artists, from music producers to public sector leaders, from writers to psychiatrists and even some royalty - you will not find a more exciting, eclectic mix of speakers focusing on Africa anywhere in the world in 2012 - that's our promise!. Visit the website and see for yourself.

The new TEDxEuston website

Once you have made your decision to attend, don't put it off. It will be your best investment of the year - promise! Register NOW.

Tickets will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis. Last year we sold out way in advance and sadly had to turn away hundreds of interested attendees. You are the reason we do this, so we have substantially increased capacity and moved the event to an exciting new venue in London "The Mermaid" with a beautiful view on the Thames. Registration will include full access to the event, a light breakfast, 3 course lunch and the after party, and all the speakers have promised to stay through the day to brainstorm further, sign their books, and you may even get to dance with them at the after party! When the tickets are gone, they are gone. Share with your friends and see you in December! Your TEDxEuston team is working hard to make it an unforgettable experience for you!

TEDxEuston 2012 Opens - June 16 2012

On the 16 on June 2012, we will reveal another exciting line-up of speakers for TEDxEuston 2012!

As usual, at this years's TEDxEuston, we have another exciting line up of speakers; great thinkers and dynamic individuals, all creating a new brand of leadership for African communities. This year’s event will take place at The Mermaid, a magnificent state-of-the-art conference venue, overlooking the River Thames. Our theme this year is; “Challenging Conventional Wisdom”.

Mark your calenders and don't be disappointed! The link to register will be on our brand new website launching on June 16. In order not to miss anything - follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Be ready for more exciting, profound, and entertaining ideas out of Africa by some of the brightest minds around!