Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, witnessed a life-changing event from September 17 to 20 as it hosted the Global Knowledge Festival 2026.
The four-day festival was a major business and leadership conference that drew participants from across Nigeria and beyond.It was organised following the establishment of the Global Knowledge Centre by Ambassador Mfon Ekpo.
The festival was conceived as an intellectual, business, leadership and cultural gathering.It brought together stakeholders from business, entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, culture and entertainment.
Participants also came from human development, academia and knowledge creation, faith and policy development. The event provided a platform for people to exchange knowledge, challenge ideas and build relationships.
It was also aimed at helping participants turn ideas into actionable solutions. A major highlight of the festival was the commissioning of the Global Knowledge Centre on Sunday.
The centre is described as Africa’s first purpose-built Global Knowledge Centre. The idea behind the centre is to create a permanent institution in Uyo where knowledge exchange will continue beyond the festival.
It is expected to serve as a hub for learning, leadership conversations, collaboration and discovery. Organisers said the centre will position Uyo as a destination for conferences, ideas, leadership, business connections and intellectual exchange.
The festival featured notable speakers and personalities from different sectors. Among the speakers were veteran Nollywood actor Richard Mofe-Damijo, RMD, and Olori Atuwatse III.
Others were Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie, the Group Managing Director of Rainoil Limited, Bishop Funke Felix-Adejumo and Dr. Nike Adeyemi. The Managing Director of Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman, was also among the speakers at the event.
The festival was hosted by media personality and actress, Nancy Isime, who anchored the sessions.Participants described the sessions as insightful, practical and inspiring.
One of the standout moments was a remark by Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie during his session. He said, “When you are the one on the frame, you would never see the picture.”
According to participants, the statement resonated deeply, especially with entrepreneurs and business owners. The lesson, they said, is that entrepreneurs are often too close to daily disappointments to see larger progress.
These disappointments include clients who do not buy, slow sales, rejected proposals and financial pressures.The speakers noted that many vision bearers faced challenges on their journey but eventually saw the bigger picture.
They stressed that even in success, people in the frame may focus on imperfections while others see how far they have come. The key takeaway from Dr. Ogbechie’s remark was that sometimes, one does not need a new picture, but a different position from which to view the existing picture.
Participants were urged to step back, detach from emotions, look at facts, patterns and the journey rather than momentary setbacks. The organisers said the Global Knowledge Festival has set a new tone for Uyo as a city for ideas, leadership and enterprise.
The Global Knowledge Centre is expected to host year-round programmes including masterclasses, leadership retreats, policy dialogues, research collaborations and cultural exhibitions.
Ambassador Mfon Ekpo said the vision is to make knowledge accessible, actionable and transformative for Africa’s next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs.
Participants at the festival called for the sustenance of the initiative, describing it as a timely intervention for leadership development and economic growth in Nigeria.
Many expressed optimism that the Centre will attract global attention to Uyo and boost tourism, investment and intellectual capital in Akwa Ibom State.
