4A in Focus: OSAHON AKPATA '11

Alumni Spotlight: Osahon Akpata ‘11 On Empowering Africa’s Creative Economy & Turning Passion into Impact

From publishing his first book at age 11 to leading a groundbreaking subsidiary within the Afreximbank Group, Osahon Akpata has built a career defined by bold pivots and impact—spanning finance, sales and strategy. Now, as CEO of CANEX Creations Incorporated, he champions African creators with a clear mission: to turn bold ideas into bankable assets and rewrite the future of African intellectual property (IP).

▶️ Read on to hear directly from Osahon.

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An Early Spark

Q: Could you tell us a bit more about your current role and position within your organization? 

Osahon: My current role is as the CEO of CANEX Creations Incorporated, a subsidiary of the Fund for Export Development in Africa and part of the Afreximbank Group. I lead the operationalization and management of this new entity, which focuses on equity investments in intellectual property within IP-intensive industries, including the creative sector, life sciences, and technology. 

Q: Can you take us on a journey to how you got to your current role?

Osahon: It’s an interesting one. My first career was as a writer– I published my first book when I was 11 years old, which was the beginning of my exposure to the creative economy. After college, I pursued the business route within the pharmaceutical industry, working at Johnson and Johnson, first in finance and then in sales and marketing. After an award-winning career for over a decade there, I applied to Columbia Business School.

Upon graduation from CBS, I joined McKinsey & Company. Throughout my time at McKinsey, I always kept my passion for the creative economy alive and continued to various exciting projects outside work, like Nollywood Portraits by renowned NY-based artist, Iké Udé which features 64 Nigerian film industry icons and comprises a coffee table book, documentary film (which I produced) and an international touring exhibition.  

I later transitioned into banking with Ecobank Group, where I led their retail payments, before starting my current role. It is funny, when in business school, I said I would not do consulting or banking and I ended up doing both.

The Power of Reinvention

Q: That’s an incredible journey. If you had to isolate one pivotal moment that shaped your career trajectory, what would it be and why?

Osahon: Winning the President’s Trophy at Johnson & Johnson, an honor reserved for the top five percent of the salesforce, was a defining moment in my career. I had begun at the company not in sales, but as a finance analyst in the controller’s division. Two years after making the leap into sales, I earned the award.

That recognition was more than just a career milestone; it was proof that, with the right training and mentorship, I could thrive in entirely new areas. It’s not every day that someone pivots from finance to sales and rises to the very top — and achieving that made me feel not just empowered, but unstoppable.

Q: What’s a key lesson that has guided your career so far — one you’d want other alumni or recent grads to remember?

Osahon: When you're doing something new and it's uncomfortable, it's because you're learning, and you don't know what would be useful later. When you’re working out and building muscles, there's pain involved, but when you do it consistently for a while, then you see the results. Welcome discomfort.

On Powering Africa’s Creative Economy & Beyond

Q: Back to where you are now, you’re in a fascinating role that intersects multiple industries — what’s one big problem you’re passionate about solving today?

Osahon: The biggest problem that I'm focused on and passionate about solving is the commercialization of intellectual property (IP), especially among Africans, both on the continent and in the Diaspora. A lot of it has to do with a lack of knowledge, and also a lack of access to licensing and commercializing that intellectual property. 

Q: What makes this issue of helping African creators commercialize their intellectual property so critical right now?

Osahon: Let’s say you’re a filmmaker in Africa today. What are the odds you’ll earn a meaningful return from your work? Quality matters, of course, and that’s often linked to budget. But even with a great film, if you lack the ability to fully commercialize the underlying intellectual property, your earning potential is capped.

When a film’s IP is effectively commercialized and retains long-term value, it transforms from a one-off project into a tangible asset — one you can leverage, license, or even borrow against. You own the ideas, the creative blueprint, and that ownership can keep generating value well beyond the initial release.

This shift has the power to change the game for African creators, whether filmmakers, inventors, or researchers, by turning their ideas into enduring, income-generating assets.

On Turning Passion Into Impact Q: Shifting gears a bit to leadership — can you share a challenge you faced as a leader and how you navigated it?

Osahon: Having to switch gears from strategy consulting at McKinsey & Company to building a team focused on digital sales and acquisitions at Ecobank Group was a notable challenge. At the time, it wasn't something that existed, and I needed to understand the process of bringing it to life, building a team around it. This was an opportunity for me to rely on my network, especially my Columbia community, to understand the different functions I needed to have. You won’t always have everything laid out for you, you might have to build something from scratch. I’m currently doing this in my new role, but this time around, I’m much more comfortable because I know from experience that this is how it goes.

Q: As you reflect on your leadership and career journey, what kind of impact or legacy do you hope to leave in your industry?

Osahon: For me, I would want to be able to see that I’ve changed the prospects and the views that people have of African creators and inventors, as well as entrepreneurs in general.

Q: Looking ahead — what global or industry trends are you excited about or paying close attention to right now?

Osahon: I would say artificial intelligence. In more developed markets, creative sectors are already harnessing AI to transform everything from content creation to distribution and audience engagement. For Africa, this technology could be the catalyst to leapfrog into a far more prominent position in the global creative industry, unlocking new efficiencies, expanding market access, and amplifying our voices on the world stage. At the same time, we must approach it thoughtfully, mindful of the risks and ensuring that innovation serves to empower rather than displace our creators.

Q: What’s one takeaway from your time at CBS that still influences you today?

Osahon: Sometimes I think it was all a blur because it happened so quickly. CBS taught me that travel is the best education. I traveled to South Africa, Korea, China, and India through Chazen Study Tours. 

My trip to India had a huge impact on me. Seeing India through the lens of business via company visits seriously changed my view of what an emerging market looks like. In emerging economies, things didn’t look so pretty, but they grow fast, and the potential is enormous!

Q: Describe a connection or relationship from CBS that has been instrumental to your success. 

Osahon: This is a difficult question for me to answer because there are so many connections. However, I would say that the connection that I made with Michael Robinson before I came to CBS was instrumental to my success.

I met him at the National Black MBA Conference in 2008. He invited me to the CBS alumni mixer, where I met current students. That one interaction set everything in motion. I was deeply encouraged by the generosity and support of the CBS community during my application process. From offering guidance to sharing insights and feedback, their help was instrumental in enabling me to put forward a strong application in a very short timeframe.

Q: For the newer members of the 4A community, what advice would you give current MBA graduates in today's professional world? 

Osahon: Build lasting relationships. Don’t be transactional. Don't disappear off the face of the earth or go into a new world and completely forget everyone that you went to school with. If you show up for people and stay authentic, those relationships will support you long after school ends.

Q: What brings you joy outside of work?

Osahon: I love to travel, and so do my wife and kids. And so traveling with family is something that brings me a lot of joy outside of work. And we get a chance to do that a few times a year. Most recently, we spent New Year’s in Bali, and it was amazing!

Q: If you could have an unfiltered conversation with your younger self, what would you say to him? 

Osahon: I would tell him to stay true to his values. Move along in your journey. Things will come together, but never lose sight of who you are.

📩 Want to connect with Osahon? Find him on Linkedin.