From birth, Ogunkeyede Opemipo Grace appeared to always defy norms. For nearly 12 months she remained in her mother’s womb, leaving doctors and family relations in awe. That was perhaps the first sign of a wunderkind—one who would challenge norms, break barriers and redefine youth and womanhood for her generation.
As the last of four siblings in a close-knit family, Opemipo nurtured a deep-seated drive to learn and achieve. Her father and mother—an engineer and a businesswoman, respectively—extolled the virtues of hard work and instilled this value in their children. Yet, like many Nigerian parents, they were cautious about allowing the “baby of the house” to explore the world too early.
Opemipo’s educational journey was swift yet unconventional. By 2018, only fifteen at the time, she had completed her high-school education from the African Child Grammar School in Abeokuta. Only fifteen at the time, she was poised for university. But her parents judged her too young for university, and young Ope was forced to stay back at home that year.
Eventually that gap year would prove to be the turning point in her life. Instead of idling away her free time, Opemipo immersed herself in technology, expanding her knowledge and acquiring new digital skills. Although she had only a dumbphone, she would devise means to log into the Internet and scrape some new knowledge.
“Sometimes I borrowed my elder siblings’ phone, and although it was not even a convenient thing, I used it anytime they were asleep or not using their phones.” If she couldn’t get through her siblings’ phones, she found a way to connect to the Internet using the home computer.
Even as an undergraduate at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ife, southwest Nigeria, she remained hungry for knowledge. Platforms like Quora, Reddit and YouTube sated her wild appetite, filling her mind with endless knowledge.
As she surfed the Internet, she stumbled upon freelance gigs in graphic design and animation. Even though she didn’t have a laptop yet, she managed to execute the jobs through the desk computer at home.
She juggled these with many different tech trainings, applying for various scholarships promising laptops, without any success. Within months of freelance work, she bought her first smartphone with money that she had saved. Before long, she got a laptop.
By 2021, Opemimo had gained recognition as a young female environmentalist and tech advocate, amassing an astounding 121 global certifications. Only 18 at the time, she had broken history.
In the years since then, Opemipo, driven by a relentless curiosity, has acquired many more certifications from global organisations, including the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the United States Institute of Peace.
In 2020, she founded her first company, SkillsBeyond, which has impacted over 30,000 individuals across 11 African countries. This has since established many more companies.
In 2023, she launched Leading Ladies for Impact, a platform with a vast reach in 21 countries across Africa and beyond. Later in the same year, she founded Growth Circle Global, a consultancy with a broad clientele spread spanning Nigeria, South Sudan and South Africa.
With seven years of experience, she wears multiple hats: a global tech professional, environmentalist, global changemaker, international development professional and youth and women development leader.
She has been recognised by numerous media outlets, including Legit.ng, where she has been described as a “whizkid.”
Despite her remarkable feats, Opeyemi has confronted public scrutiny. Some question how someone so young could accumulate such extensive experience. Others have doubted her awards, attributing them to local institutions or school programs.
Yet the 21-year-old has risen above these limitations of her society with solid discipline. Her secret? Research, curiosity, and a refusal to accept limitations. Opemipo attributes her ability to manage it all to structured delegation, which she likens to God’s own organisation.
“God has this special way of doing something,” she says. “He has called on people to be pastors, but does that mean that the one that God has committed the vision will still be the one to be the drummer, the keyboardist, and to arrange the chairs in the church?
With a team of volunteers, she is able to delegate responsibilities when she gets too preoccupied with important work.
Beyond her academic and professional life, Opemipo enjoys a social life that reflects her personality: purposeful and enriching.
Picture her in an art café, her hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee as she exchanges ideas with fellow visionaries.
Imagine her in a serene park, her laptop open, typing away at an article that will inspire young women in tech. See her at a leadership summit, effortlessly navigating through a sea of global changemakers, holding conversations that spark new initiatives.
Opemipo finds joy in meaningful interactions and debates, including during moments of quiet reflection. She also takes delight in watching documentaries and researching.
One of the most common questions she encounters is, How did you achieve so much at such a young age? With a smile, she attributes her success to intense focus, discipline, and a relentless push beyond comfort zones. Many assume she must have had extraordinary privileges, but she is quick to clarify: every milestone was earned through hard work and perseverance.
Looking ahead, Opemipo envisions raising more changemakers, breaking the cycle of limitations, and shifting mindsets toward problem-solving. With her work spanning tech, environmental sustainability, and female empowerment, she aims to continue inspiring millions, proving that true success isn’t about age or privilege but about taking intentional steps toward purpose.
Ogunkeyede Opemipo Grace is a Nigerian wunderkind who has constantly defied norms. Exhibiting exceptional drive and discipline from a young age, she completed high school at fifteen but spent the ensuing year honing digital skills rather than idling. Her ingenuity during this "gap year" saw her diving into graphic design and animation, managing work through a shared home computer before earning enough to buy her own devices.
By 2021, Opemipo had gained significant recognition as a tech advocate and environmentalist, amassing 121 global certifications by age 18. Her quest for knowledge led to numerous certifications from renowned organizations, and she founded multiple companies, including SkillsBeyond in 2020 and Leading Ladies for Impact and Growth Circle Global by 2023, reaching thousands across Africa and beyond.
Despite skepticism about her accomplishments due to her age, she credits her success to hard work, structure, and the ability to delegate. Opemipo's impact spans tech, environmental sustainability, and female empowerment, aims to inspire and nurture future changemakers, and remains committed to demonstrating that success is achieved through intention and dedication rather than age or privilege.
