Diana Amabelle Nwakanma has overseen the strategy and implementation of a wide range of programmes for over 13 years, catering to youth development, women empowerment, child protection, impact investment, entrepreneurship, employability and social innovation.

She is a social change agent, international development expert and capacity-builder and the Director of Programmes at LEAP Africa, whose work cuts across 13 African countries, equipping 7,600 entrepreneurs and 24,000 students in public secondary schools, to be change-makers with the capacity to build future sustainable social enterprises. Her Social Innovation Programme is building a new generation of investment-ready, transformative leaders.

She has also worked as a national and international independent consultant, overseeing collaborations with government, private, non-profit and civil society organisations, helping to improve their projects’ effectiveness through proper funding and execution. Nwakanma is an alumnus of the Queen Mary University of London and the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada.