Ms. Nneka Achapu

Nneka S. Achapu is a public affairs strategist and entrepreneur and the CEO of Asha Strategies LLC, where she advises organizations, policymakers, and business leaders on U.S.–Africa policy, diaspora engagement, and international partnerships. Her work focuses on strengthening connections between African diaspora communities, global markets, and policy institutions.

She is the founder of Skyward Africa, an initiative exploring Africa’s growing role in the global space economy and the strategic partnerships shaping the next generation of space development. Through convenings, policy dialogue, and industry engagement, Skyward Africa brings together policymakers, researchers, and private sector leaders to examine Africa’s emerging capabilities in satellite infrastructure, earth observation, and space-enabled services.

Her work increasingly sits at the intersection of Africa policy, space diplomacy, and diaspora talent — areas that are becoming central to the next phase of global technology and security cooperation. Achapu is also the founder of the African Public Affairs Committee (AfriPAC), an initiative dedicated to strengthening civic engagement, policy awareness, and leadership within African diaspora communities in the United States.

She holds a Master’s degree in International Policy from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, where her studies focused on international cooperation, African development, energy and global security. She also holds bachelor’s degrees from the University of Houston in Political Science, Spanish Language and Literature, and Italian, with minors in Arabic and Global Business Studies.

She speaks Italian and Spanish fluently and has working proficiency in Arabic, Hindi, and several other languages, enabling her to engage across diverse cultural and international contexts.

Her work and commentary on diaspora engagement, U.S.–Africa relations, and emerging global partnerships have been featured in outlets including Quartz Africa and ABC News. Through her leadership, Achapu continues to build platforms that connect policymakers, business leaders, and diaspora communities to advance economic opportunity and strategic partnerships between the United States and Africa.