The Stephen Akintayo Foundation will be hosting Chude Jideonwo, filmmaker, media entrepreneur, and host of the acclaimed talk show #WithChude, as a keynote speaker at its inaugural Business Growth Conference, scheduled for Friday, March 14, 2026, at Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. Jideonwo will be speaking on the often-overlooked dimension of entrepreneurial success: protecting your mental health as a founder.
The conference, convened under the visionary leadership of Dr. Stephen Akintayo, President and Founder of the Stephen Akintayo Foundation, is designed to bring together entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, innovators, and aspiring business owners in a high-impact gathering focused on scaling enterprises, building resilient brands, and achieving sustainable wealth creation within Africa’s evolving economy. In keeping with the Foundation’s core mission of empowering millions through education, mentorship, philanthropy, and entrepreneurial transformation, the event will deliver actionable insights, curated sessions, and meaningful networking opportunities.
Jideonwo’s session is anticipated to be one of the conference’s most resonant moments. As the founder of Joy, Inc. and Chair of the Fourthmainland Creator Fund, he has built a career at the intersection of storytelling, identity, and emotional intelligence, consistently demonstrating how purposeful communication can shape culture and sustain leadership over time. His invitation to speak reflects a growing recognition within Africa’s business community that founder wellbeing is not a peripheral concern, but a strategic imperative.
In an era where the pressure to perform, scale, and survive in business can quietly erode the mental and emotional reserves of even the most driven entrepreneurs, Jideonwo’s voice carries particular weight. Through #WithChude, a platform that has earned a devoted following for its unflinching candour and emotional depth, he has modelled the kind of radical honesty that the conversation around entrepreneurship urgently needs. His keynote is expected to challenge founders to see the protection of their inner lives not as a luxury, but as the very foundation upon which great businesses are built. As anticipation builds for what promises to be a defining gathering for Africa’s business community, the Stephen Akintayo Foundation’s Business Growth Conference is set to deliver not just strategies for scaling, but a more expansive vision of what thriving in business truly looks like, one in which the founder’s humanity remains intact. With Chude Jideonwo anchoring that conversation, March 14 is shaping up to be a moment worth experiencing.
