By Tomi Falade
The 2025 edition of the South East Students Entrepreneurship and Innovation (SESEI) Conference has been hailed as a resounding success, delivering transformative insight, startup support, and a renewed sense of purpose to over 600 student attendees from across southeastern Nigeria.
Held on Saturday, June 28, at the ASUU Secretariat, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, the conference brought together leading voices in business, technology, media, and humanitarian service to address the theme of 鈥淏uilding Sustainable Startups and Purpose-Driven Leadership Among Students.鈥
From keynote speeches to panel discussions, the one-day conference was filled with powerful learning moments. Among the standout speakers was Dr. Sammy Adrian Ajufo, Chairman/CEO of ColorCode Group and a renowned media strategist, who spoke on the role of media and perception in scaling startups. His session, titled 鈥淢edia Power & Market Positioning鈥, empowered attendees with real-world strategies to build visibility and brand authority.
Also delivering a compelling keynote was Mrs. Rosemary Ezeani (Ngozi), Director of the Oluebube Charity Foundation and serial entrepreneur, who spoke on 鈥淢ultiplying Value: How to Build, Manage, and Grow Multiple Ventures With Vision and Heart鈥. Her session underscored the balance between business and impact, especially for women-led initiatives.
Sir Orjinta Nnaemeka Orji, Director at Kyndryl and Co-founder of NEXTGENAI LTD, addressed the future of work in Africa in his thought-provoking keynote, emphasizing digital resilience and the role of AI and cloud in empowering young African innovators.
From the real estate space, ESV Arnold Ekwuoba, CEO of Arnold & Associates and founder of Lesson360, inspired student entrepreneurs with his keynote, 鈥淧urpose-Driven Enterprise鈥, where he shared personal lessons on innovation, values-based leadership, and the future of entrepreneurship in Africa.
In addition to the keynotes, three dynamic panel sessions brought together 10 accomplished panelists from various industries. The conversations ranged from startup growth and financial independence to brand clarity and digital transformation. Many students described the panel sessions as 鈥渆ye-opening, practical, and deeply relatable.鈥
One of the major highlights of SESEI 2025 was the Student Startup Grant, a 鈧4 million fund provided to 40 outstanding student entrepreneurs to support their business ideas and help them scale. The grant, sponsored by Flamingos Car Tech, the Sir and Lady Judith Orji Foundation, and other partners, was awarded after a rigorous pitch process that took place days before the main conference.
According to the Convener, Mr. Emmanuel Anabueze, the goal of the SESEI platform is to raise a generation of students who are not just job seekers but visionary builders of scalable enterprises. 鈥淲e are deeply grateful to all our partners, speakers, panelists, and every student who believed in this vision,鈥 he stated.