Philip Akoda

Philip Akoda
Born
Philip Akoda

(1996-05-01) 1 May 1996
Calabar, Nigeria
EducationBS in Business & Management, University of Derby UK.
Alma mater
OccupationsAuthor, Lexicographer, Entrepreneur
Notable workA 21st Century Efik pocket Dictionary, Efik-English and English-Efik (2022)
TitleFounder & CEO of Nkanda (formerly The AFLANG Project)[1]
Websitetheaflangproject.org

Philip "Tete" Akoda (born 1 May 1996) is a Nigerian author, lexicographer, and entrepreneur.[2][3] He has written several literary and reference works relating to African languages, including publications on the Efik language and a descriptive thesaurus of the Yorùbá language.[4][5] He is the founder and chief executive officer of Nkanda, an educational technology startup focused on the digital documentation and preservation of African languages and cultures.[6][7] Through Nkanda, Akoda has developed mobile language-learning and dictionary applications, including the first Efik language learning app on Google Play, as well as a bilingual Efik–English dictionary containing over 14,000 entries.[8]

Biography

Philip was born in Calabar, Nigeria, in May 1996.[8] He is a great-grandson of Edidem Bassey Eyo Ephraim Adam III.[8] He holds a Bachelor of Science degree (first class honours) in Business and Management from the University of Derby (2024). Before his studies at the University of Derby, Philip had previously attended the University of Essex during this time, he founded the AFLANG project (later known as Nkanda) and developed the first Efik Language Learning App.[8][9] Due to the novel mobile app, Philip was invited to the UK House of Parliament to speak at the Black History Month event.[10]

Literary works

As an author, Philip has published several literary works which have greatly contributed to Efik literature including Learn Efik 1-2 which were his earliest literary works.[2] Due to his knowledge on Efik history, Philip also co-authored Groundwork of Eniong Abatim History (1670-2020) with his mother, Prof Winifred Eyoanwan Akoda. Groundwork of Eniong Abatim History (1670-2020) focuses on the history of Eniong Abatim, an Efik-speaking community in the lower Cross River region of Nigeria.[4] In 2022, Philip published A 21st Century Efik pocket Dictionary: Efik - English, English - Efik.[4] Philip's publications have been adopted in several schools across Calabar, Nigeria.[11][6] Beyond the Cross River region, Philip authored Ìṣura Ọ̀rọ̀ Yorùbá: A Comprehensive Yorùbá Thesaurus, a descriptive thesaurus focused on the Yorùbá language and its semantic structure. The work has been cited in discussions on African lexicography and digital language preservation.[5]

Digital contributions

Outside the literary space, Philip has championed several digital projects aimed at preserving and promoting African Languages and Cultures.[11] Through Nkanda, he has published language learning applications for African Languages such as Ndebele, Oromo and Fante.[12][6] One of Philip's most major contributions to the digital space was the Tete Efik Dictionary App.[13] The Tete Efik Dictionary App is an Efik-English/English-Efik mobile dictionary app. Named after Philip whose Efik name is Tete, the app boasts of over 4,000 Efik words and 10,000 English words.[11] It greatly stands out in the digital space due to the intricate details contained in the app some of which include phonemic transcription, definitions, sentence examples, synonyms, antonyms, history & etymology and audio pronunciations.[13] In addition to the Tete Efik Dictionary App, Philip also spearheaded the development of the Yoruba Dictionary App.[3] Released in 2024, the Yoruba Dictionary app contains extensive lexical data, including definitions, phonemic transcriptions, synonyms, antonyms, hypernyms, and hyponyms, along with audio pronunciations from native speakers.[3] The app includes dialectal variations from over 12 Yoruba dialects, making it one of the most comprehensive digital resources for the Yoruba language.[3] In 2025, Nkanda was awarded the imminent research grant to build its unified multilingual dictionary platform which will host Efik, Yoruba and Hausa Languages on debut.[9]

Awards & Recognition

  • 2025 - Imminent Innovation Grant in Language Technology (Nkanda, Under Philip's leadership).[9][14]
  • 2025 - Association of Language Companies in Africa (ALCA) Outstanding Contribution to African Languages Award.[15][16]
  • 2024 - Mastercard Foundation FAST Program for Startups (Nkanda, Under Philip's leadership).

Publications

  • Ìṣura Ọ̀rọ̀ Yorùbá: A Comprehensive Yorùbá Thesaurus (2025), ISBN 978-978-918-912-0.
  • A 21st Century Efik Pocket Dictionary: Efik–English, English–Efik (2022), ISBN 978-978-790-020-8.
  • Groundwork of Eniong Abatim History (1670–2020) (2021), ISBN 978-978-940-886-3.
  • Learn Efik Vol. 1 (2021), ISBN 978-978-918-680-8.
  • Learn Efik Vol. 2 (2021), ISBN 978-978-918-681-5.

References

  1. ^ "Interview-Philip Akoda". Lost in Lagos. Lagos: Issuu. pp. 54–55. Retrieved September 8, 2025. p. 54: Meet Philip Akoda, an entrepreneur, lexicographer and the Founder & CEO of Nkanda, an EdTech Company...
  2. ^ a b Negroid Haven, 2023
  3. ^ a b c d Vanguard Nigeria, 2024
  4. ^ a b c Akoda, 2023
  5. ^ a b Institute of Translation and Interpreting, January 2026 bulletin
  6. ^ a b c Public Presentation of the Book: Groundwork of Eniong Abatim History
  7. ^ "Interview – Philip Akoda". Lost in Lagos. Lagos: Issuu. pp. 54–55. Retrieved 8 September 2025. p. 54: Meet Philip Akoda, an entrepreneur, lexicographer and the Founder & CEO of Nkanda, an EdTech company...
  8. ^ a b c d Role Model of the Week: Developer of the First Efik Language Learning App on Google Play
  9. ^ a b c Imminent Research Grants – Projects Awarded
  10. ^ Our Youngest Ever Speaker At Our Black History Event, House Of Parliament, 22 Year Old Philip Akoda, Prepared To Take Centre Stage This Friday The 27th
  11. ^ a b c Andem, 2023
  12. ^ Chaparadza, 2018
  13. ^ a b Tete Efik Dictionary
  14. ^ MultiLingual
  15. ^ "Interview-Philip Akoda". Lost in Lagos. Lagos: Issuu. pp. 54–55. Retrieved September 8, 2025. p. 54: A multi-published author whose work is housed in prestigious libraries at Oxford and Harvard, his innovative efforts have earned international acclaim, including the Imminent Research Grant and the Outstanding Contribution to African Languages Award, solidifying his impact on the continent's linguistic landscape.
  16. ^ ALCA 2025: Africa’s Role in the Global Language Services Industry

Bibliography

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