Ikenna Ogbudimkpa is a social entrepreneur on a mission to empower Nigeria’s next generation of innovators. As the founder of Vision Incubation Hub, a youth development center in Abia, Ikenna is working to provide young people with the resources, mentorship, and opportunities they need to turn their visions into reality.
In our recent interview, Ikenna shared insights into his entrepreneurial journey and the driving force behind the creation of the Vision Incubation Hub. His words offer valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs in Nigeria and beyond.
During the interview, Mr. Ikenna noted that documentation is critical. And one of the biggest challenges he faced early was not documenting processes and procedures properly. This led to issues down the line that could have been avoided. “We were winging it because we were there to make more impact,” he explains. Ikenna learnt the hard way that documentation is vital for sustainable business operations. He advises aspiring entrepreneurs to prioritize documentation, get the right training and mentorship, and build strong systems and structures from the start. “A lot of young people make many mistakes in the process of building, without clearly defining the partnership, and without clearly defining the roles of each partner,” he says.
Ikenna describes his leadership style as “leading from behind” – he leads by example, empowers his team, and provides opportunities for people to grow. He believes in servant leadership and is passionate about developing the next generation of leaders. “I’m someone who likes to lead from behind. And I’m someone who likes to multiply myself in people I lead or work with. I believe in leadership by example. I’m a servant leader. And I don’t tell you to do what I’ve not done myself,” Ikenna says.
This approach has been key to the success of Vision Incubation Hub. Ikenna doesn’t just tell young people what to do; he shows them, and then empowers them to take the lead. His goal is to create a pipeline of leaders who can transform Africa. Solve Local Problems, Think Global. Nigeria has immense potential, says Mr Ikenna. He encourages young entrepreneurs to look inward, identify community problems, and build innovative solutions. Even small-scale ideas can have a global impact if executed well. “Nigeria has the potential to make you whoever you want to be. Nigeria is one of the biggest economies in Africa. And has the biggest population in Africa. That is to say that you have both the human resources that you need, you have the pilot market that you need, you have everything you need in Nigeria,” he explains.
He points to success stories like Flutterwave, Opay, and Piggyvest as proof that Nigerian entrepreneurs can build world-class businesses by solving local problems. He believes the key is to start where you are, test your ideas, and scale globally. Invest in Nigeria. A major part of his vision is to attract more investment into Nigeria’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. He believes companies and high-net-worth individuals need to step up and support capacity building, infrastructure development, and youth empowerment initiatives.
“We need people to invest in Nigeria.” It is a very important conversation that we need to have. We travel around the world and we see a lot of foundations, family foundations that help a lot of young people from Nigeria – Scholarships, grants, exchange programmes, fellowships, and much more. We saw a lot of companies do their corporate social responsibilities and sponsor people to travel for conferences to open our eyes to the world, to become innovative, to understand how the world is running, but we have fewer entrepreneurs, we have fewer companies in Nigeria who are open to social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibilities, and financing the next generation of young people in Nigeria,” Mr. Ikenna says. We need more. Ikenna’s vision for Vision Incubation Hub is to become a “career lab” where young Africans can incubate their ideas, access mentorship and funding, and build sustainable businesses.
He wants the hub to be a one-stop shop that holistically supports the next generation of innovators and leaders. “We have a vision, and the ultimate vision is to be a career lab.” And so when I talk about Vision Incubation Hub, it’s beyond technology.” Even though technology is a driver, beyond technology, we want to help young people’s visions come to life. Whether in the creative industry or entertainment, our vision is to ensure that the VI hub becomes a strong umbrella, a lab for young people across Africa to actualize their visions,” Ikenna explains.
Ikenna’s insights underscore the importance of intentionality, documentation, leadership development, and ecosystem-building in entrepreneurship. His passion for empowering young Nigerians is truly inspiring. With more trailblazers like him, the future of innovation in Africa looks bright.
