Didi Akinyelure is an Award-winning Journalist and Entrepreneur. She won the BBC World News Komla Dumor Award in 2016, and received the University of Nottingham's Special Excellence Alumni Laureate Award in 2018.
Didi Akinyelure is an Award-Winning British/Nigerian Journalist. In 2016, she won the prestigious BBC World News Komla Dumor Award. In December 2018, Didi received the University of Nottingham's Special Excellence Alumni Laureate Award.
She is an accomplished multimedia journalist with extensive experience working in television, radio, text and digital for the BBC, CNBC and Reuters News Agency.
Didi presented the CNBC International television series IOT: Powering the Digital Economy and Living on the Edge on the BBC World Service, a radio series focused on the impact of climate change on communities around the world.
She has presented, produced and edited television, radio and digital content for the BBC News at 10, BBC World News, BBC Focus on Africa, BBC’s Business Daily, BBC’s Newsday, BBC In Business Africa and the BBC World Service.
In April 2018, her freelance report for the BBC, on Female Entrepreneurship in Nigeria, was recognised in the World Bank Women Entrepreneurs Reporting category at the One World Media Awards, held at BAFTA London.
Didi has built an impressive career as a Moderator and Speaker. She hosted the GECF 2nd International Gas Seminar in Equatorial Guinea. She also hosted the Africa Oil Week. She has moderated panel discussions at the Africa CEO forum and GTR West Africa, and hosted the Africa CEO awards and gala dinner.
She has chaired high level conversations on technology for sustainable development at the United Nations in Geneva. Panelists at the UN included Dame Wendy Hall, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Carlo Rubbia, and Prof. Jurgen Schmidhuber. She also chaired a United Nations high level conversation with Sir Roger Penrose and Nobel Laureate, Jacques Dubochet. In 2021, Didi chaired a third session at the United Nations with Nobel Laueate Dr. Jennifer Doudna, Dr. Katalin Kariko.
She moderated the entrepreneurship panel at London Business School’s Africa Summit, moderated a panel on African Entrepreneurship at the London School of Economics Africa Summit, and anchored a panel at the Future Energy Africa exhibition and conference in Cape Town, South Africa.
She presented the BBC Africa Debate on Fake News in Malawi and the BBC Women in Digital Journalism panel at Social Media Week in Lagos.
She chaired the Africa Construction Week in Munich, Germany, the ministerial panel at the 2017 Africa Oil Week in Cape Town, a panel at the Access Bank International Women's Day Conference, WimBiz, and the Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum.
She also hosted the University of Nottingham’s Africa Summit, the West Africa Property Investment Summit, the Lagos at 50 International Conference, the Lagos State Stakeholder Engagement on Real Estate Business, and the Lagos Kano Economic Summit, amongst others.
In September 2017, Didi was invited by the United Nations to interview delegates at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Ordos, China.
Didi graduated from the University of Nottingham with a 2:1 degree in Chemical Engineering. She spent five years in the financial sector in the United Kingdom working in the asset management division of Barclays Wealth. In 2008, she relocated to Lagos, Nigeria, to work at investment bank, Oceanic Capital.
Didi has a passion for telling the African story and this led to a career change in January 2012. She spent four years working as a Financial Journalist, anchoring and producing CNBC Africa’s live morning show Open Exchange West Africa. She has been featured in Forbes Woman Africa magazine and included in a list of the most influential business journalists in the world.
She created A Place in Africa, a Pan-African lifestyle property television show showcasing the beauty of Africa through real estate and launched her own production company, REAP Productions.
Her television series, sponsored by Landmark Africa, a leading real estate and property development company, aired on CNBC. She also presented and produced CNBC's Destination Lagos, a documentary sponsored by the Lagos State Government.
Didi has interviewed policy makers and captains of industry across Africa and beyond.
Didi Akinyelure launched REAP Foundation in 2018; a non-profit organisation that aims to provide work opportunities for young journalists.