VICTORY MESONA
SENIOR PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Lagos
Summary
Strategic program leader with 8+ years of experience in designing and scaling entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives across Africa and Asia-Pacific. Delivered impactful programs in collaboration with international organizations, governments, and partners. Expertise includes program strategy, accelerator design, stakeholder engagement, and multi-country implementation, driving measurable social and economic outcomes.
Overview
2
2
Languages
2
2
Certifications
7
7
years of professional experience
Work History
Growth & Partnerships Consultant
Healthcare Expansion Initiative
05.2024 - 03.2025
- Expanded operations to all 36 states in Nigeria within 11 months, enhancing market reach.
- Developed and managed a partner network of over 1,000 healthcare providers, increasing collaboration opportunities.
- Expanded operations from 1 state to all 36 states in Nigeria within 11 months.
Convener and Program Lead
Bold Money Women
03.2025 - Current
- Facilitated learning experiences around entrepreneurship, career growth, leadership, and financial empowerment.
- Facilitated learning experiences in entrepreneurship, career growth, leadership, and financial empowerment, fostering skill development and confidence among participants.
- Engaged with over 100 women through interactive workshops and networking events.
- Connected young women to jobs and mentorship opportunities as well financially literacy resources.
Founder & Program Director
Growth Padi
01.2021 - Current
- Growth Padi, a business growth and entrepreneurship support organization helping startups and SMEs scale across Africa.
- Designed and delivered entrepreneurship, leadership, accelerator, and business growth programs, enhancing startup and SME scalability across Africa.
- Founded and directed the Growth Africa Summit.
- Designed and launched ScalePadi Academy, training and placing 70+ Sales professionals into jobs.
- Built strategic partnerships with corporations, educational institutions, and development organizations, strengthening support networks for startups and SMEs.
- Built strategic partnerships with corporations, educational institutions, development organizations, and ecosystem stakeholders.
Training Partner & Mentor
USPF Young Changemaker Hackathon Challenge
04.2024 - 07.2024
- Facilitated workshops, guiding participants through innovation processes and ideation techniques to enhance creative problem-solving skills.
- Mentored emerging changemakers, offering constructive feedback on project proposals and presentations, resulting in improved clarity and effectiveness.
- Delivered investment readiness and venture growth sessions for founders, equipping startups with essential tools for innovation and scaling.
- Evaluated pitch competitions as a judge in the pitch Competition, assessing feasibility and scalability of innovative ideas
Regional Director – Asia Pacific
AIESEC International
01.2022 - 01.2023
- Directed ILO-funded entrepreneurship initiative across 9 countries, equipping 20,000 young people with essential skills.
- Collaborated with AWS to implement World's Largest Lesson Cambodia initiative, impacting 1,000 children.
- Directed an ILO-funded entrepreneurship initiative delivered across 9 countries, equipping over 20,000 young people.
- Secured strategic partnerships with AWS, ILO, Google, and other international stakeholders to enhance program reach.
Program Manager
Afrinolly
01.2019 - 01.2022
- Led implementation of the Facebook for Creators initiative, facilitated the training of 3,000 young people.
- Coordinated Filmakademie German-Nigerian Workshop across five countries, enhancing cross-cultural collaboration.
- Oversaw logistics, program design, delivery, reporting, and evaluation for full short film release in Filmakademie German-Nigerian Project, ensuring successful project completion.
- Facilitated multi-stakeholder programs with international partners and development organizations, fostering partnerships and shared goals.
Education
Master of Science (MSc) - Entrepreneurship
Nexford University
United States11-2025
Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) -
University of Abomey-Calavi
Benin10-2019
Diploma - French Language Studies
Nigeria French Language Village
Nigeria08-2014
Skills
Program Strategy & Management
Program Design & Delivery
Accelerator Design
Entrepreneurship Development
Growth Strategy
Design Thinking Facilitation
Partnership Development
Learning Experience Design
Training Coordination
Stakeholder Engagement
Relevant Program Softwares
Certification
McKinsey Forward Program – Leadership & Problem Solving | 2024
Timeline
Convener and Program Lead
Bold Money Women
03.2025 - Current
Growth & Partnerships Consultant
Healthcare Expansion Initiative
05.2024 - 03.2025
Training Partner & Mentor
USPF Young Changemaker Hackathon Challenge
04.2024 - 07.2024
Regional Director – Asia Pacific
AIESEC International
01.2022 - 01.2023
Founder & Program Director
Growth Padi
01.2021 - Current
Program Manager
Afrinolly
01.2019 - 01.2022
Master of Science (MSc) - Entrepreneurship
Nexford University
Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) -
University of Abomey-Calavi
Diploma - French Language Studies
Nigeria French Language Village
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
50 Under 30 Motherland Mogul – She Leads Africa (2026),
Author, Growth From Anywhere (2025),
Grant Awardee - Tony Elumelu Foundation (2024),
3rd Place Winner – FATE Foundation Next Economy Programme (2023),
2nd Runner-Up Founder of the Year Africa (FOYA) - Under 30 Award by SheAwards (2023)
DIGITAL & PROGRAM TOOLS
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Google Workspace
- Notion
- Airtable
- Asana
- Trello
- ClickUp
- Miro
- CRM Systems
- Learning Management Systems (LMS)
- AI Productivity Tools
- Data Collection & Reporting Tools
IMPACT AT A GLANCE
• Reached 50,000+ youth, entrepreneurs, and professionals through entrepreneurship, workforce development, innovation, and leadership programs.
• Designed and delivered programs across 12+ countries in Africa and Asia-Pacific.
• Led a nationwide healthcare expansion from 1 state to all 36 states in Nigeria within 11 months.
• Built and managed a strategic network of 1,000+ healthcare partners nationwide.
• Generated over $1M in partnership, and business development revenue across entrepreneurship, education, healthcare, and ecosystem-building initiatives.
• Delivered programs supported by organizations including the International Labour Organization (ILO), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, Facebook, OSSAP-SDGs Nigeria, and other global stakeholders.