Ada Osakwe, of Nuli Juice becomes first African to Deliver Address at Kellogg School of Management

Ada Osakwe has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management Northwestern University, MSc in Economics and Finance from University of Warwick and a BSc in Economics from the University of Hull, UK.

Since 2015, Agrolay ventures has built a portfolio of 10 high growth investments in food and technology which include the Nuli juice company (Nuli), a fast casual restaurant chain that utilizes locally grown vegetables and fruits.

On Friday 19th June, Ada Osakwe delivered the convocation address to the Kellogg School of Management class of 2020. She is the first African and fourth black woman to be given this honour.

“I was incredibly honoured that not even up to a decade after graduating from Kellogg where I earned my MBA, I was invited to address the class of 2020” she said. “As a young woman who has worked hard to promote Africa in all I do, this meant a lot to me. I was sad, due to Covid-19  I was unable to join them in person but by God’s grace we will do so next year.”

With a critical phase of their lives upended by the ongoing global health pandemic, the class of 2020 completed the last few months of their MBA program virtually and they will receive their diplomas through their mails. Oskwe in her speech praised them for their bravery, resilience and courage, also sharing details of her career path, transitioning from her private equity job in New York to starting her own business. “After my time in New York, I went into public service, joining the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture as his Senior Investment Advisor. This high-level role gave me unparalleled exposure at the highest levels. After four years, I gave up all the power and influence that came with my position, deciding to become an entrepreneur instead. Friends disappeared overnight, and my phone wasn’t ringing anymore. It was a difficult time as I felt I had to prove my professional capabilities to people all over again and rebuild my entire private-sector career from scratch. Thinking back, it was just what was needed to motivate me to make sure my start-up,  Nuli,  became the fastest-growing beverage brand and fast-casual restaurant chain in Nigeria. So in your quest to thrive, there will be curve-balls thrown your way and you’ll have to take risks, it’s a given. But you’ve just got to trust your journey.”

The message was important to Osakwe as she has recently been very outspoken about the poor response of the Nigerian government to support small business owners amidst the pandemic. “Small businesses, like mine, a group that makes up over 80 percent of the labour force of my country, have been left alone to navigate these shaky waters.”

She also admonished the women amongst the group to let their brilliance and awesomeness shine through as they keep amplifying their voices.

As a black African, Osakwe in her speech said she will always speak out against racial injustice and urged the non-blacks to render their voice to ensure there is equality, tolerance and acceptance for all.

In closing, she thanked the entire team at Kellogg School of Management who have played strong roles in helping the graduates reach this point. “I truly believe crisis has the ability to bring out the best in humanitiy. Class of 2020, you have a front row seat in this journey to shape the world we want to see. A better world.”