PROFESSOR KEN MENKHAUS
Professor Ken Menkhaus brings more than three decades of scholarship, field experience, and engagement with Africa to Soulful Supper 2026.
Menkhaus is Professor of Political Science at Davidson College and the newly appointed Franco Director of the Franco Program on Public Policy & Research. Since joining Davidson in 1991, he has become an internationally respected scholar on Africa, with expertise spanning development, humanitarianism, conflict, governance, and state-building.
His work has taken him well beyond the university. Professor Menkhaus has served as a consultant and advisor to the United Nations, World Bank, U.S. Government, nongovernmental organizations, policy institutions, and private-sector leaders. He has also provided expert testimony before congressional subcommittees and contributed his expertise to major international media outlets.
His connection to A2S is both professional and personal. As a former member of the A2S Board of Directors, Professor Menkhaus has a deep understanding of the organization’s mission, its work in Nigeria, and the Christian conviction that every person is created in the image of God and entrusted with gifts, purpose, and potential.
At Soulful Supper, Professor Menkhaus will draw on his extensive experience studying and working across Africa to offer a broader perspective on the continent’s future. With Africa home to one of the world’s youngest populations—and Nigeria at the center of that demographic and economic story—he will explore both the extraordinary potential of Africa’s people and the barriers that can prevent that potential from being realized.
His perspective aligns closely with A2S’s approach: meaningful investment in Africa must look beyond narratives of poverty and dependence and toward the development of human potential. Education, career pathways, entrepreneurship, local leadership, wellness, and strong institutions can create the conditions in which young people are equipped to exercise agency, develop their gifts, and contribute to the flourishing of their communities.
Professor Menkhaus will help us consider what it means to see Africa not simply through the lens of need, but through the lens of opportunity—and what faithful investment in people can make possible.
Join us September 19 at Project 658 for an important conversation about Nigeria, Africa, and the extraordinary potential of a generation.
IFEANYI “IFFY” UFOCHUKWU
Ifeanyi “Iffy” Ufochukwu’s journey from Benin City, Nigeria, to Rice University and now Duke University is a powerful example of what can happen when God-given potential is met with opportunity, mentorship, perseverance, and sustained investment.
Iffy first connected with A2S through a basketball outreach in Benin City. While basketball opened the door, A2S recognized far more than a promising young athlete. They saw a young man with intelligence, discipline, leadership, and the potential to make a meaningful impact in the world around him.
With the support of A2S and a community of people who believed in him, Iffy continued his education in the United States. He enrolled at Rice University, where he balanced the demands of academics and Division I athletics as a member of the Rice men’s basketball team.
In 2025, he graduated from Rice with a bachelor’s degree in business and a concentration in finance.
Today, Iffy is a graduate student-athlete at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, pursuing graduate studies in Management Studies with a pathway toward an accelerated MBA while competing as a member of the Duke men’s basketball team.
At Soulful Supper 2026, Iffy will share the story behind that journey—from his first connection with A2S in Benin City to his experience at two of America’s leading universities. He will reflect on the people and opportunities that helped shape his path, the sacrifices and challenges along the way, and the role that faith has played in understanding and stewarding his future.
Iffy’s story captures a central conviction of A2S: potential is everywhere, but opportunity is not.
A2S did not give Iffy his gifts or his potential. Those were already there. The organization’s role was to recognize what God had placed within him, help open pathways to opportunity, and walk alongside him as he developed the confidence, skills, and agency to pursue his future.
His experience also points to a larger truth about Nigeria and Africa. The continent is rich in talent, creativity, intelligence, and ambition. What is often missing is access to the educational, professional, and relational opportunities that allow those gifts to flourish.
From Benin City to Rice and now Duke, Iffy’s journey is a testament to what can happen when potential meets opportunity—and when that investment is sustained over time.
Join us September 19 at Project 658 to hear Iffy share his story and consider what might become possible when we invest in the God-given potential of young people across Nigeria and Africa.
O. ABIMBOLA AKINTOLAYO
O. Abimbola Akintolayo brings together a passion for people development, leadership, Nigerian culture, and purposeful living in her role as Emcee for A2S Soulful Supper 2026.
A proud Nigerian who now calls the Charlotte area home, Abimbola brings a deeply personal connection to the evening and to A2S’s work in Nigeria. As a current member of the A2S Board of Directors, she helps steward an organization committed to cultivating agency, expanding opportunity, and equipping young people to develop and faithfully steward their God-given gifts.
Professionally, Abimbola is an Industrial and Organizational Psychology professional specializing in leadership, strategy, and people development. With more than 15 years of experience spanning organizational psychology, training, and education, she is passionate about helping individuals become the best versions of themselves while helping organizations develop the people and strategies needed to achieve their goals.
Her experience includes executive coaching, leadership development, public speaking, corporate training, team building, career development, educational consulting, and entrepreneurship. Across each of these areas, Abimbola helps people think boldly about what is possible, lead intentionally, and translate aspirations into meaningful action.
She is also an experienced facilitator who understands that meaningful transformation requires more than sharing information. It requires creating space for people to listen, reflect, engage, connect, and imagine new possibilities. That ability to bring people into meaningful conversation makes her a natural fit to guide the Soulful Supper experience.
As Emcee, Abimbola will connect the evening’s speakers, stories, and cultural experiences while helping guests understand the deeper invitation behind the gathering: to see Nigeria through a fuller lens, to recognize the extraordinary potential of its people, and to consider what faithful investment can make possible.
At the heart of Abimbola’s personal and professional work is a commitment to helping people discover purpose, pursue growth, and live intentionally. Her philosophy reflects a core A2S belief—that flourishing is about more than achievement. It is about becoming who God created us to be and using our gifts to serve others and contribute to the flourishing of our communities.
Abimbola lives in the Charlotte area with her husband of 16 years and their three children. Outside of her professional and community work, she enjoys reading, writing, painting with her children, traveling, exploring new cultures, and watching movies with her husband.
Join us September 19 at Project 658 as Abimbola guides guests through an evening of faith, Nigerian culture, connection, and meaningful investment in the God-given potential of young people.
