Anna Ekeledo
Ecosystem builder.
Trade and industrialisation advocate.
Global voice for
Africa’s economic future.
Advancing Africa’s digital economy through strong systems and markets.
MEET
Anna Ekeledo
Anna Ekeledo has spent over a decade building the systems, institutions, and partnerships that make Africa’s digital economy and now its trade and industrial future possible, not for some, but for all. As Executive Director of AfriLabs (2016–2026), she grew the continent’s largest innovation network from 40 hubs to 500+ across all 53 African countries.
Now serving as Executive Director Emerita since May 2026, Anna focuses on what comes next: deepening intra-African trade under AfCFTA, driving industrialisation, and dismantling the barriers that have long impeded businesses trading and scaling across African borders, the same barriers she confronted directly through her own work. In 2026, she brings this focus to Cotonou, Benin Republic, as host of the Trade and Industry Track at the 11th AfriLabs Annual Gathering.
WORKING WITH ANNA
How Anna works with you
Strategic Advisory
Deep expertise in innovation ecosystems, digital policy, cross-regional trade, and economic development applied to the complex questions organisations, multilateral institutions and governments face when building or investing in Africa's digital economy.
Board Leadership
A track record of multi-stakeholder governance across public, private, civil society, and international sectors. Anna brings continental context, policy intelligence, and strategic clarity to boards navigating Africa's fast-moving digital landscape.
Global Speaking
Anna operates at the highest levels of global discourse on innovation ecosystems, catalytic financing for African startups, intra-African trade and AfCFTA implementation, and digital infrastructure policy. Her strength lies in bridging sectors—private sector, government, multilateral institutions, and the innovation community—to move conversations from rhetoric to action.
ACHIEVEMENTS
The numbers behind the work
Ready to build something that lasts?
Whether you’re looking for a strategic advisor, a board voice with continental reach, or a speaker who can move a room, Anna is open to conversations that align with her commitment to advancing Africa’s digital economy and trade.