Glory Nneka Ukwenga, Founder and Executive Director of Africana League, a pan-African youth leadership development organisation, has bagged a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Conflict, Peace and Strategic Studies from the Nile University of Nigeria.
The prestigious doctorate was conferred on Ukwenga on July 24, 2026, following her successful defence in Abuja, Nigeria, marking a significant milestone in the career of the bilingual leadership development analyst and youth advocacy pioneer. Her PhD thesis was on Civil-Military Relations and the Challenges of Democratic Governance in West Africa: A Comparative Study of Nigeria and Mali (2019-2026).
Ukwenga, whose academic journey has been defined by excellence, holds a Master of Science in Political Science with a specialisation in International Relations, which she earned with distinction from the University of Ibadan, and a Bachelor of Science in Politics and International Relations, graduating Summa Cum Laude from Lead City University, Ibadan. She also holds diplomas in Public Relations and French, as well as the DELF B1 certification from the République Française. Ms Glory won the Best Graduating Student Prize of the Department of Political Science on her M.Sc at the University of Ibadan in 2015.
Her doctoral research on Civil-Military Relations and the Challenges of Democratic Governance in West Africa: A Comparative Study of Nigeria and Mali (2019-2026) aligns with her lifelong commitment to addressing governance deficits and youth marginalisation across Africa. The programme, offered by Nile University’s Department of Conflict, Peace and Strategic Studies, requires candidates to achieve a weighted average of 3.5 on a 5-point scale in their Master’s degree.
Ukwenga founded Africana League in July 2017, building a youth-led network committed to expanding the visibility and capacity of young Africans to engage in politics and governance. Under her leadership, the organisation has grown into a formidable civic platform, recently earning recognition for its flagship initiative, the Actizens Parliament (formerly known as “Nigeria House of Commons”) the country’s first political reality TV show designed to demystify legislative processes and inspire a new generation of patriotic and competent young leaders.
Since its debut, the show has amassed thousands of YouTube subscribers and views, sparking meaningful conversations about accountability, representation and the power of young voices in shaping Nigeria’s future. The original initiative, which has now been rebranded as “Nigeria Actizens Parliament” for its second season, comes with a N15 million prize package aimed at supporting political participation and community development projects.
Born on October 27, 1989, Dr Nneka Ukwenga’s advocacy for youth and women’s inclusion in governance has been widely recognised. She was listed among ShePremium’s Top 50 Emerging Visible African Women in 2025. Her work has consistently centred on the conviction that young Nigerians must transition “from being beneficiaries of development to active agents of change”.
“Nigeria House of Commons was created to close the gap between young Nigerians and governance. What we saw this season confirmed that young people rise to the challenge when given a platform to express themselves and engage meaningfully,” Ukwenga said following the conclusion of the show’s first season.
Beyond her doctoral achievement, Ukwenga is a member of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), and the West Africa Political Science Association (WAPSA). She has published several academic papers on political apathy, women’s mobilisation, federalism, ethno-class politics, and security sector governance in Nigeria.
With her PhD now in hand, the Africana League Executive Director is expected to deepen her impact on youth leadership development and democratic governance across the continent, armed with the scholarly rigour to match her proven track record of advocacy and programmatic innovation.
