Joshua (Josh) Okpata has spent the last decade applying innovation principles across entrepreneurship, venture capital, humanitarian assistance and public service around the world.
Josh is a program manager in the Scaling Innovations practice at Results for Development (R4D) where he delivers on initiatives that empower innovators, strengthen ecosystems and achieve broad impact. He drives the Training Plus platform which facilitates continuous learning and capacity building, provides coaching to innovators on the FCDO’s Frontier Tech Hub and Bayer Foundation Women’s Economic Empowerment Collaboration Grant and supports program implementation in R4D’s role as the secretariat for the International Development Innovation Alliance (IDIA). His work also extends to leading R4D’s East Africa portfolio on the FCDO-funded Research and Innovation Systems for Africa (RISA) Fund
After a stint in construction, Josh co-founded peer-to-peer rental platform, Eazyhire, leading their growth into 12 cities across Africa before taking on multiple roles in venture capital supporting a portfolio of over 60 startups and exceeding $50m in assets under management. He was also a US Department of State Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) Fellow, an entrepreneur-in-residence with leading social impact accelerator Fledge Barcelona where he co-created an impact assessment framework with collaborators from Sciences Po Paris, and in 2017 he delivered a paper on the role of functional startup ecosystems in youth development to a gathering of the Commonwealth.
In 2021, Josh joined the United Nations World Food Programme providing end-to-end innovation design on programs aligned with SDGs 2, 3, 4, 5 and 17 some of which include the BMZ/GIZ Digital Health Innovation Accelerator, the Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Africa, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation led FARID Polio Health Camps, and the multi-partner Creating Hope in Conflict: A Humanitarian Grand Challenge Transition to Scale Acceleration Program and Sprint, where his work was instrumental in winning an Anthem Award.
Prior to joining R4D, Josh was a technical adviser on innovation in the Office of the Vice President of Nigeria, developing impactful programs and interventions across agriculture, healthcare and education in collaboration with public sector stakeholders and development partners, and providing guidance on presidential initiatives that directly impacted millions of Nigerians.
Josh holds a degree in agricultural engineering (power and machinery engineering) from the Federal University of Technology Owerri.
