The Board of Directors of the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) Creations Incorporated (CCInc), a subsidiary of the Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA), has appointed Mr. Osahon Akpata as Chief Executive Officer to lead the company. The board confirmed the appointment during its meeting on the sidelines of the fourth Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025) which was organised by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in Algiers, Algeria, from September 4 to 10, 2025.
Until his appointment, Mr. Akpata was the Head of CANEX Creations within the Afreximbank Group, taking on a central role in CCInc’s journey since its inception. In that position, he led the operationalisation of the entity, shaping its strategy, establishing its governance framework and building its initial investment pipeline.
Prior to that, Mr. Akpata served at Ecobank Group, where he led the SME business, retail payments and strategic partnerships, building several new business units. Earlier, he worked at McKinsey and Company with responsibility for advising African banks and multinational clients on strategy execution. He began his career at Johnson and Johnson in the United States and earned awards for excellence in the pharmaceutical division.
Beyond his corporate roles, Mr. Akpata has supported high-profile projects in film, television, publishing and visual arts and is widely recognized as a trusted advisor in Africa’s media and entertainment ecosystem. He has cultivated strong global industry networks and has been a published author since the age of 11, with works that have appeared in Essence, Forbes, and Vogue Italia magazines.
Commenting on the appointment, Chairperson of the CCInc Board, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, said that, with a career spanning finance, strategy and business development, Mr. Akpata would bring a rare blend of expertise to the role.
“The Board was, therefore, very pleased to confirm him as CEO, particularly given the instrumental role he has played in building CCInc from the ground up and his proven ability to bridge investment expertise with deep knowledge of Africa’s creative and innovation economy. These attributes make Mr. Akpata very well suited to lead the company into its next phase of growth”.
Speaking on his appointment, Mr. Akpata said: “I am honored to take on this role at such a critical juncture for Africa’s creative economy. CCInc is uniquely positioned to unlock the full value of African intellectual property by driving commercialization, building global partnerships, and delivering returns that benefit creators and economies alike.”
Mr. Akpata holds an MBA in Media Management from Columbia University (USA), a BA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance from Nottingham Trent University (UK) and a diploma in Strategic Partnerships from IMD Business School (Switzerland).
