There was a moment during the commissioning of the Global Knowledge Centre in Uyo when Amb. Mfon Ekpo, Founder and Convener of the Global Knowledge Festival, could no longer hold back her tears.
“I cried this morning,” she said, her voice laden with emotion, as she reflected on a journey that began with painful words about what her future would look like. Ekpo recalled being told, in connection with the circumstances surrounding her birth, that she would be “retarded.”
But decades later, the woman whose future had once been subjected to such a bleak prediction stood before an audience of leaders, innovators, creatives and changemakers to witness the commissioning of a centre built around the very thing that can transform lives: knowledge.
For Ekpo, the moment was deeply personal. The Global Knowledge Centre, which she conceived as a hub for learning, discovery, innovation and human development, represented more than the completion of a major project. It was, in many ways, a physical manifestation of a journey that had defied the limitations others had placed on her.
Her emotional reflection became one of the defining moments of the 2026 Global Knowledge Festival, themed “The Convergence.” The festival, held in Uyo, brought together prominent figures from across Nigeria and beyond to celebrate the power of knowledge and its capacity to shape individuals, communities and the continent.
Among those present at the commissioning were Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno; Olori Atuwatse III, Queen Consort of Warri Kingdom; veteran actor and filmmaker, Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD); businessman, Dr Gabriel Ogbechie; Dr Busola Tejumola; Dr Nike Adeyemi; media entrepreneur, Adebola Williams; media personality, Chude Jideonwo; actress, Ini Edo; and chess advocate, Tunde Onakoya, among others.
But while the presence of the dignitaries underscored the significance of the occasion, it was Ekpo’s story that gave the commissioning its emotional weight. Speaking at the event, Governor Eno described the centre as an investment in the future of Akwa Ibom and its people.
“The commissioning of the first Global Knowledge Centre in Africa is more than the opening of a building. It is an investment in knowledge, innovation and the future of our people.” He said the centre would inspire learning, empower minds and create possibilities for generations to come.
For Olori Atuwatse III, the project demonstrated what could happen when knowledge and people were deliberately placed at the centre of Africa’s future.
She described the centre as “a powerful statement about what is possible,” adding that it represented a commitment to equipping a generation with the tools required to shape a better Africa. Yet, for Ekpo, the significance of the day went beyond the speeches and ceremonial commissioning.
It was a moment of reckoning with a past in which others had attempted to define the boundaries of her future. The girl who was told what she would become had grown into a woman determined to create a platform through which others could discover what they could become.
That philosophy sits at the heart of the Global Knowledge Festival, which seeks to bring people, ideas and possibilities into one space to stimulate learning, conversations and innovation.
The commissioning of the Global Knowledge Centre therefore marked not simply the opening of a new institution, but the culmination of a personal vision that Ekpo has transformed into a broader platform for human development.
Her tears captured the weight of that journey. They spoke of a painful memory, but also of perseverance and possibility, and of the distance between what someone once said she would become and what she ultimately chose to build.
