She is a graduate of Chemical Engineering from the University of Nottingham. In July 2016, she won the prestigious BBC World News Komla Dumor Award, identifying her as a Future Star of African Journalism. Prior to her career in financial journalism, Akinyelure worked at Barclays Wealth in London. She relocated to Lagos, Nigeria, in 2008. She is also a media entrepreneur, having created the Real Estate/Lifestyle television show A Place in Africa. The show airs on CNBC Africa.