Media entrepreneur, storyteller, host of #WithChude, and Amazon bestselling author of ‘How Depression Saved My Life’, Chude Jideonwo, will deliver the keynote address at the 15th Anniversary and 2026 Career Day Youth Conference of The Bridge Leadership Foundation (TBLF), one of Africa’s longest-running platforms dedicated to raising a generation of ethical, visionary, and transformational leaders.
Scheduled to hold on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the University of Calabar Conference Centre, the conference is themed “Power. Purpose. Persistence: Youth Leading Change for the Next 15 Years.” The event marks a dual celebration of TBLF’s fifteen-year impact in youth leadership development and its annual Career Day Conference, which has become a flagship gathering for young people across Nigeria and Africa. Having attracted more than 5,000 participants annually, the platform has, over the years, featured globally respected leaders including Peter Obi, Alex Otti, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Mitchell Elegbe, Ndidi Nwuneli, Nelson Chamisa, Fela Durotoye, Olakunle Soriyan, Affiong Williams, Jimmy Tewe, Kolawole Oyeyemi, and Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, among many others, all united by a shared commitment to equipping young Africans for leadership and nation-building.
As keynote speaker, Jideonwo will help set the tone for conversations around unlocking the potential of a new generation of changemakers. Drawing from his decades of work across media, storytelling, emotional wellbeing, and leadership development, he will challenge participants to embrace the power of purpose-driven living, courageous leadership, and unwavering persistence in the face of uncertainty. Jideonwo’s preseance reveals the Foundation’s vision of inspiring young people not only to dream of a better Africa, but to become the leaders capable of building it over the next fifteen years.
