Theme: Stories of Change

TEDxOAU is a movement of people who are engaged in discussing new ideas and are getting ideas into action to improve their community. With the belief that ideas have the power to change attitudes, lives, and ultimately, the world, our goal is to create a unique platform where great minds can come together and share these ideas with other people in the OAU community.

We are putting the spotlight on individuals who are working towards a greater goal, making an impact in the process that affects real, lasting, and positive change.TEDxOAU will be the catalyst for people to collaborate, brainstorm, and dream about ideas that will change our world for the better.

TEDxOAU 2022 would like to help you:

→ Learn about new ideas and ways of bringing them into action.

→ Learn from people who are making an impact in their communities, or have already made an impact on a larger scale.

→ Consider how your own passion can make a meaningful (and measurable) difference to your community.

Join us on October 29, 2022!

BOOC LT
Faculty of Science
OAU Campus
Ile-Ife, Osun, 220282
Nigeria

Dennis Osadebe

Visual Artist

Dennis Osadebe is a Nigerian mixed-media artist, based in Lagos. After earning a BSc in Business Management from Queen Mary University, and an MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the University of Warwick, Osadebe began his journey as a self-taught artist and has been cultivating his artistic career since 2016. Osadebe’s vibrant post-pop visual style is centered around the idea of reimagining Africa through the use of positive, provocative, and progressive imagery, and narratives, forging a dialogue where tradition meets invention and innovation. Osadebe has exhibited his works in renowned galleries and museums across the globe, including König Galerie (London), The Museum of Contemporary Diasporan Arts (New York), and Phillips Auction House (Hong Kong).

Emmanuel Faith

HR Professional

Emmanuel Faith is a globally certified human resource professional and employability skills trainer. He is presently the Lead, People and Culture at Cowrywise, one of the burgeoning fin-techs in Africa where he spearheads people-centric processes like People Operations, Talent Acquisition, Learning and Development, Diversity and inclusion, Employee experience and other related functions. As an SDG5 advocate, author and poet, Emmanuel has written a lot of articles on Gender Equality and inclusion in the workplace and facilitates employability sessions for different undergraduates, recent graduates, and mid-level professionals which aims to enhance Human and Capacity Development. Faith is a 3-times TEDx Speaker, a global member in human resources (GPHR) an associate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (ACIPM), and an author of four ebooks.

Gbenga Adeku

UpCycle Artist

Gbenga Adeku is an award-winning upcycle artist, art illusionist, digital artist, aesthetic consultant, and Brand Ambassador. In 2019, he founded Xtetixupcycle, an upcycle art company aimed at building knowledge capacity to tackle climate change through art. Gbenga grew up as an apprentice at Olokun art gallery & studio, mastering linocut, etching & painting. He was trained to sculpt under the tutelage of Kola Olayinka in 2006. He furthered his training as an artist at the Great Ife Art School (Obafemi Awolowo University) specializing in painting & minoring in graphic art from 2010 to 2015. He is a proud Alumnus of the Bruce Onobrakpeya Foundation. He is an independent artist who sells his art through social media, private view exhibitions, and online art galleries. He was featured on the FCMB Flexxzone blog as the Flexxpreneur for August 2022, where he shared his Inspiration for his Business. He currently runs an upcycle art studio in Ile-Ife Osun State.

Kelvin Umechukwu

Co-founder & CEO of Bumpa

Kelvin Umechukwu, popularly known as 'Tush Geek', is an engineer with multifaceted skills. He is also the Co-founder and CEO of Bumpa, a digital Commerce platform empowering small businesses with tools to manage and grow their business using mobile devices. Kelvin is an OAU alumnus who completed his degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017. Before founding Bumpa, Kelvin was the program manager and Head of Business Development at Tech Quest, where he led programs across 15 states in Nigeria that trained over 20,000 young people in STEM. He was also the Incubation Program Manager at CcHUB, where he managed multiple programs for early-stage startups across Africa. Currently, Kelvin and his team are building the infrastructure that will power digital commerce for African sellers.

Kolapo Oladapo

Music & Brand Marketing Professional

Kolapo Oladapo is a lawyer, business development professional, UX designer, and creative industrialist. He specializes in brand, experiential, and music marketing. He has gained experience over the past eight years in these areas. Kolapo is passionate about improving the entertainment landscape in Africa with tech and continuously learning new things to improve his skills. He is known for leveraging a combination of legal proficiency, industry knowledge, and tech-savvy to achieve growth and corporate goals. He was project lead in brokering Africa's first radio syndication deal with Apple Music and has handled a lot of other projects. Some of these include; Clout Talk Concert, Clout Africa Awards, Clout Magazine, Dispatch Distro, and The Story of Black Jesus, amongst others. Aside from spending time-solving problems in the radio and music industry, he either writes or plays with Nala, Sir, and Bo, his three lovely dogs.

Mary Bukola Taiwo

SRHR Advocate

Mary Taiwo is an award-winning Model United Nations enthusiast who has served as a board member and chairperson of several Model United Nations Conferences both in Nigeria and abroad. Bukola is the first female Secretary General of Ife Model United Nations. She is a strong advocate for the education of women and girls on sexual reproductive health and right (SRHR) and the inclusion of women and youth in Peace and Security. This led her to found the BUTA initiative, an initiative aimed at educating people about safe menstrual hygiene practices and ending period poverty. In less than two years, she has been able to impact over 3000 women and girls in different communities. Bukola is currently a pioneer Thematic Lead (Health) at the Queens Commonwealth Trust. Bukola is a recipient of Ekiti Future Award “Prize for Community Action” 2022.

Oluwatoyin Sodipe

Career Coach and Mentor

Oluwatoyin Sodipe is a Career Coach and Mentor. She currently serves as the CEO at SESEWA, where she provides strategic direction and implementation with her team in equipping graduates and young professionals with 21st-century skills to thrive and excel in the workplace. She is a people development professional, known for her expertise and passion for helping people discover and maximize their potential. Her method of facilitating and coaching has been described as unique by her clients and students. She is the author of the book "MORE" a proactive guide that teaches how to discover and develop potential leading to a life of upgrade. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Obafemi Awolowo University and a Master’s Degree in Industrial & Labour Relations with a specialization in Human Resource Management from the University of Lagos. She is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria(CIPMN)...

Renée Chuks

Co-Founder at Aldente Africa

Renée Chuks is a trained chef, with Food Sustainability as her main focus. She is a graduate of the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Austin Texas, and is the founder of Aldente Africa known for turning cassava into healthy gluten-free pasta. As a firm believer in protecting and processing Africa's many resources, Renée is also the Academic Director for Umami Center for Culinary Arts (UCCA) which equips students with world-class relevant knowledge and skills to make them globally competitive with other culinarians across the world. She also served as a judge on the popular TV show, ‘Knorr Taste Quest’ and has worked with A-list hotels across the country such as Victoria Crown Plaza, Protea Hotel, and so on, bringing along global standard hygiene practices.

Toluwanimi Akinrinola

Founder, The Girl Life

Toluwanimi Akinrinola is a writer who has a daily spiritual-themed series titled "Dear Christian." She is the founder of The Girl LIfe, a 2-year-old community of over 1000 members where teen and tween girls irrespective of any form of bias get to interact about various issues as they concern the life of a girl. She has led this team excellently in contributing to the growth of girls as they groom and maximize their potential and has organized conferences including the ‘Girls of Worth’ and ‘Girls of Purpose Conference’. She has also taken on noteworthy projects such as the completed "Clothe a Village Child" project and the "Pad a Village Girl" scheme which is still in the works to restore humanity. Toluwanimi is a firm believer that we can cause a change in the world by giving hope and nurturing the lives of girls, one at a time.