About – Evans Emmanuel

Evans Emmanuel is a pan-African development strategist and ecosystem builder, with over a decade of experience designing and delivering scalable enterprise support systems, catalytic partnerships, and inclusive impact programs in Africa. He currently serves as the Head of the Foundation at LIFE Africa, the impact arm of the Del-York Group, where he leads the Foundation’s bold agenda to empower 1.8 million Africans by 2030 through future-of-work interventions, innovation-led programming, and market-access platforms.
Evans brings deep expertise in designing and executing high-impact initiatives across startup incubation, the green and circular economy, inclusive healthcare, AI and digital innovation, and SME growth. He has built integrated support platforms that accelerate entrepreneurs from early-stage development to scale. He is also recognized for his ecosystem leadership and stakeholder engagement capabilities, fostering partnerships with DFIs, corporations, donor agencies, multilateral, financial institutions, and innovation hubs to mobilize funding and scale interventions addressing Africa’s most pressing development challenges.
Before joining the Del-York Group, Evans served as Enterprise Manager at the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), Pan-Atlantic University, Nigeria’s foremost institution for enterprise development. There, he led several continent-wide entrepreneurship programs, managed institutional partnerships, and facilitated academic courses in entrepreneurship and marketing. His consulting portfolio spans micro to large businesses, delivering advisory services across operations, growth strategy, marketing, and business development. He holds academic and executive credentials in International Marketing (Strathmore University), Executive Management (Lagos Business School), Entrepreneurship Management (Pan-Atlantic University), and Information Science (University of Ibadan). He is also a Certified Business Development Services (BDS) Expert. A regular contributor to discourse on entrepreneurship, workforce development, and ecosystem innovation, Evans is part of the next generation of African leaders building resilient systems for lasting impact.
“Africa does not just need more capital or programs—it needs systems that scale, partnerships that endure, and leadership that listens. That’s the future I am building for.”