Biography:
Dr. Terese Shadrach Akpem is a veterinarian, social entrepreneur, and development leader advancing sustainable agriculture, animal health access, youth empowerment, and digital innovation across Africa. He holds a masters degree in veterinary preventive medicine and business administration.
As the Founder of Vet Konect, he is building a technology-driven animal health platform focused on expanding access to aniaml care services and social protection for livestock farmers, with a vision to provide animal health coverage to 5 million Africans by 2030. His work contributes directly to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDGs 1, 2, 3, 8, and 13 through food security, economic inclusion, innovation, and climate-resilient livestock systems.
Driven by a passion for youth development, Dr. Akpem has trained and mentored over 30,000 young people in digital and entrepreneurial skills through initiatives with organizations including Mind the Gap, Leap Africa, Tony Elumelu Foundation, and Jobberman. He also led the implementation of the UNDP-supported Benue Agribusiness Innovation Hub, which impacted over 600 rural farmers and supported 25 innovators. He is also the pioneer of the Benue Livestock Summit, an impact driven platform to transform the livestock ecosystem in Nigeria.
He is a 2023 Mandela Washington Fellow, 2024 Pamoja founders fellow, 2024 Top Agrifood Pioneer by the World Food Prize foundation and recipient of multiple international recognitions, Dr. Akpem continues to champion scalable, impact-driven solutions in agriculture, technology, innovation, and sustainable development in Africa.
