Meet Onome Ako: The Entrepreneur with a Vision to End Hunger and Challenge Bias Worldwide

By Khera Alexander

Onome Ako comes from a lineage of entrepreneurs and innovators, all deeply passionate about community and addressing inequalities. 

With a grandmother and mother as entrepreneurs, Onome, CEO of Action Against Hunger Canada, had an unfiltered view of what running a business can be like.

“I saw the highs and the lows of [my mom’s] entrepreneurial journey,” she says.

Her father also set an example, demonstrating how creating the change you want to see can impact communities for years to come. 

“My dad built a tap outside our home [in Nigeria],” she says. “It’s been going on for many years. Twice a day, the tap is opened, and the community will come [to] fetch clean water.”

Inspired by her parents’ dedication to solving problems and giving back, Onome knew from an early age that she wanted to make a positive difference in communities around the world.

“I knew exactly what I wanted to do growing up because of what I saw my parents do in the community, [and] I wanted to be able to do this at a more institutional level,” she says. 

With more than 15 years of experience in international development, Onome has led initiatives engaging and collaborating with communities in over 15 countries. From her time at the health development organization Amref Health Africa to her work with the relief and development organization World Vision, she has been deeply invested in driving change. Today, Onome sits at the helm of Action Against Hunger Canada.

Stepping into her role in 2021 amidst COVID-19, the need for Onome’s leadership was even greater as the pandemic exacerbated local and global hunger. While she didn’t initially view herself as an entrepreneur, she now recognizes that steering her organization through crises demands the very qualities that define entrepreneurial leadership.

“When you look at the polycrisis as we call them right now, you’re looking at the aftermath of COVID-19; we have more conflict in the world than we’ve ever had in a very long time; the impacts of the cost of living; the impact of gender inequality; the rise in hunger — to be able to respond to all of these things, you need an entrepreneurial spirit,” she says. 

Onome continues, asserting that to address a polycrisis — a group of different but related global emergencies with compounding effects — requires an enterprising skill set. 

“It takes a deep, strong entrepreneurial spirit to be able to raise money, to redirect resources, to be able to engage with different stakeholders, to continue on your cause of vision, to report to your donors, [and to ensure] your colleagues who are working in communities are safe.” 

Despite the critical work that Onome and her team do, the full scope of Action Against Hunger’s efforts is not always fully understood.

“We’re not just providing food — we’re responding to a crisis when it arises,” she says. “That crisis may mean we’re providing water, sanitation, cash depending on the context. We’re providing psychosocial support to people who those crises have impacted [and] providing nutritional support.”  

Onome also highlights the complexity of tackling hunger in a community, explaining that several elements must be addressed simultaneously.

“You cannot respond to it in a simplistic manner,” she notes. “You’re challenging systems, challenging cultural norms. It requires time. It requires aligning and engaging with the community to build trust. It means that we’re addressing the actual root causes of malnutrition and hunger.”

In addition to her work in international development, Onome is also an author who challenges both overt and covert biases. Her children’s book, I Am Cherished, published by Scholastic, tells the story of Kikelomo, a young girl who faces cruelty from her classmates and teacher because of her unique name. Drawing from her daughter’s experiences, her own, and those of working professionals, Onome uses Kikelomo’s name as a symbol to advocate for embracing differences in society.

“[Kikelomo’s] name could be the way you look, it could be your accent, it could be what you eat,” Onome says. “It’s leaning into diversity, inclusion, and belonging, but looking at it from a child’s perspective [while also serving as] a lesson for professionals.”

Onome’s multifaceted talents have not gone unnoticed. In 2023, she was nominated for the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards in the Social Change: National Impact Award category.

For Onome, the nomination was an opportunity to bring more attention to the cause she is so passionate about.

“The nomination put a spotlight on the hunger crisis. It put a spotlight on the gaps; on how hunger affects women differently than men; on the role that we can all play in responding to the hunger crisis,” she says. “It put a spotlight on the organization and the work that we do, and [on] organizations like Action Against Hunger because [there’s] a lot of us in this space; it’s a collective work that we do.”

Winning the award was a surprising and significant moment for Onome, one that has had a profound impact on her and her organization.

“It’s given credibility to the organization, [and] credibility to me as an individual,” she says. “I’ve been in spaces where someone comes up to me and says, ‘I need to introduce you to this person because you’ve won this award.’ It’s credibility on a different level. You’re fighting so hard and you’re trying to make this impact. Others still see that you’re trying, and it gave me a spring to my step.”

Onome also recognizes that her win doesn’t just impact her and Action Against Hunger, but it also supports her passion for championing others and holding the door open for them. 

“When I think about the international development space and the number of female, African leaders, there’s probably about three or four of us,” she says. “[This win is also about] me being conscious of the space that I hold and being a voice at the table for people who look like me [and] who speak like me at the table, and creating space for them.”