Nela Duke Ekpenyong, an environmentalist and adventurer

Nela Duke Ekpenyong, an environmentalist and adventurer

Nela Duke Ekpeyong is an investor and social entrepreneur. She is the Co-Founder of Obudu Conservation Centre, a not for profit organization dedicated to protecting, educating and restoring the wildlife and wildlands of the Obudu region and the surrounding Cross River National Park.

Nela has supported conservation efforts targeted at large-scale growth and development on the continent for over 10 years. She has a long history of working with leading African philanthropists, social investors and entrepreneurial investors, merging her love for the environment with entrepreneurship.

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Nela has been able to leverage her network of High Networth Individuals and innovators to collaborate and solve Africa’s complex, social and environmental problems.

Nela completed a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Loughborough University.

Before Obudu Conservation Centre, Nela sat on the board of Harambeans, where she served as the Chief of Staff and was responsible for supporting the growth of tech-enabled ventures such as Andela, Flutterwave and Yoco, through hosting convenings and venture capital. 

Nela is also the Co-Founder of LEGA.C Capital, a multi-family office which supports the wealth and growth of innovators, entrepreneurs, executives, and high-net-worth families. She is currently the Co-Chair of African CSOs Biodiversity Alliance.

Nela has supported and volunteered with several key international agencies including Global Citizen. She was named one of Africa’s most influential conservation leaders in WWF, AWF, YMCA and Scouts. In 2021 Nela was selected as one of the 15 innovators for the Beyond Tourism challenge by the Luc Hoffman Institute, WWF and ALU School of Wildlife Conservation.