Kennedy Ekezie

Kennedy Ekezie-Joseph (born 11 June 1998) is a Nigerian entrepreneur and philosopher. He is the co-founder and current chief executive officer of Kippa.

Kennedy Ekezie-Joseph
Born (1998-06-11) 11 June 1998
Lagos, Nigeria
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Entrepreneur
  • philosopher
Years active2014-present
Known forfounding Kippa
Awards

Early life and education

Ekezie is originally from Ehime Mbano in Imo State was born in Lagos where he lived for 8 years with his family before his parents relocated to Calabar after they secured jobs there.[1] In 2017, Ekezie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with honours in Philosophy from the University of Calabar and subsequently completed a master's degree in Economics and Management at Peking University where he earned a Yenching scholarship in 2018.[2] He also holds a diploma in Leading Change from the University of Cambridge.[3]

Career

In 2014 at aged 16 while studying, Ekezie founded Calabar Youths Council For Women's Rights; an organization he founded to promote women's rights after he discovered that more than 8,000 women are victims of female genital mutilation in Nigeria.[4]

In 2021, he co-founded Kippa.[5] Prior to that, he also worked at ByteDance while on a Yenching Scholarship at Peking University in China.[1] Ekezie has been credited as part of the team that led TikTok into Africa.[6]

Recognitions and awards

Ekezie was awarded the Queen's Young Leader Award in 2018[7] and the James Currey Prize in 2020.[8] For founding Kippa, he was awarded The Future Awards Africa for Technology in 2022.[9][10]

References
  1. ""Exploring the Journey of Kennedy Ekezie-Joseph: A Trailblazer in Catalyzing TikTok's Success across Africa" – Independent Newspaper Nigeria". Independent Nigeria. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  2. Akinyemi, Bioluwatife (2018-04-29). "Ekezie-Joseph becomes First Nigerian to Receive Yenching Scholarship". Nigerian Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  3. "The Yenching Academy of Peking University Introduces the 2018 Cohort of Yenching Scholars-Yenching Academy of Peking University". Yenching Academy. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  4. "KENNEDY EKEZIE-JOSEPH". We Are Family Foundation. 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  5. Prosser, David. "Kippa Aims To Unlock The Potential Of Africa's Small Businesses". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  6. Mubarik, Abu (2022-01-24). "Meet the 23-yr-old Nigerian who led TikTok's entry into Africa and now has his own fintech startup". Face2Face Africa. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  7. Nigeria, Guardian (2018-06-27). "Three Nigerians Receive Queen Elizabeth's Young Leaders Award". The Guardian (Nigeria). Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  8. "Kennedy Ekezie Joseph - JURY". James Currey Prize. 2020-05-15. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
  9. Ajanaku, Lucas. "Kennedy Ekezie-Joseph receives Future Awards Africa for technology". The Nation.
  10. "See who win for The Future Awards 2022". BBC News Pidgin. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
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