2021
2021 Y.I.L Fellows
Nigeria’s Young Innovation Leaders
EXCELLENCE
We selected people that have shown a track record of excellence in their personal development, career and academics.
MASTERY
Our fellows have some level of mastery in a hard skill. Beyond getting a university/ polytechnic education, they have obtained further training in some skill.
DIVERSITY
Our fellows are graduates from 31 disciplines and from 15 States of Nigeria.
Jude Terna Ayua is a Lawyer, Artist, Author, and Entrepreneur, passionate about helping people find their purpose and live fulfilling lives. He is diligent, honest, keen on details, hard-working, and thrives always for excellence. He has a strong desire for leadership and innovation, making an impact and influencing people positively. He is the Convener of ‘Finding Purpose W/Jude Ayua’, a mentoring group on Facebook. He is the owner and Creative Director of Jay Graphix. He develops content and edits for authors, magazines, and other publishing media. His first book, FINDING PURPOSE was published in September 2020. He acquired his Law Degree In 2019 from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and graduated from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus in 2021. In 2019, Jude led a team of three from his Faculty, who emerged 1st prize winners in a national moot competition. He is an accredited Commercial Mediator and currently a National Youth Service Corps member in Oyo state.
Ofoegbu, Chukwuebuka Daniel is a Graduate Intern at Energia Limited, he is the Administrative Team Lead of Techpet Engineering Global, an oil and gas servicing, AI, machine learning, data analytics, and robotics startup. He holds a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering (First Class Honours) from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri. Ofoegbu is a data science enthusiast, petro-technical analyst and has a strong interest in reservoir engineering, environmental sustainability, biofuels, innovative R&D as well as strategy and customer solutions. He is a Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) Fellow and is keen on leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Ofoegbu represented FUTO at the prestigious SPE Nigeria Petroquiz competition 2019, where team FUTO emerged the winner and was slated to represent Africa in the Global contest at Alberta, Calgary Canada. He has two publications in Nanotechnology and Gas Condensate Hydraulic fracture, respectively. He loves learning, building, growing and he desires to create a system that nurtures, supports, and executes ideas for innovative purposes.
Ifedebola Deborah Akinwale is a twenty-four-year-old with two years of experience in the Non-profit Sector. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from the University of Lagos in Nigeria in 2019. While working as the Programs Director for King Homes Charity where she curates programs and activities geared towards the rehabilitation of children and young adults in underserved communities in Nigeria, she also doubles as the Outreach Director for Psyche Health Matters Initiative promoting awareness on the importance of building a mentally aware and strong society. Integrity, Love, and Community Development are but a few of her core values that also translates into her professional outlook. On basis of her stellar career presentation, Lagos Business School, Pan-African University, Nigeria awarded her a scholarship to participate in her Non-profit Leadership Management Program cycle eight.
Chibuzor Ndubisi is a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His research and career interests focus on techno-economic trends in sustainability and robotics, both of which he believes are crucial for Africa’s transformation. Chibuzor has gained national and international recognition for his writings on business, technology, and socio-economic development. In 2019, he was one of the Winners of the Global Peter Drucker Challenge on management and received a Special Recognition Award for the Most Original Essay. In 2020, he was awarded a spot at the Young Innovation Leaders Fellowship for his essay on innovation and environmental sustainability. His works have been published in both national and global journals, magazines, and blogs. Chibuzor is a member of the Drucker Forum Community, the Young African Leadership Initiative, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and the Google Developer Student Community among others. In his free time, he loves to read, write, think, and listen to good music.
Deborah Fisayo Joseph is an Economist, a Business Consultant, and a Content Creator. Deborah is a natural witty critical thinker and highly intellectual in problem diffusing. She is a second-class upper Economist graduate from the Federal University of Lokoja. She also has bagged some certifications in the Institute of Chartered Economist of Nigeria, Human Resource Management, Photography, Soft Skill Development, and currently enrolled in Kaduna Business School. Due to her passion to help people and businesses grow, she was a team lead for a nonprofit organization known as My Duty, My Country Initiative. She was also the lead consultant at the economic program Youth Empowerment Development. She is a Business Consultant by profession and has consulted for several businesses and scales them to their highest peak. She is good with data analysis, writing company profiles, business plans, business model canvas, business development process, and content writing. Miss Deborah has worked with Zeteo Citadel Consult and is currently working with YBI Consult as a lead consultant.
Tolulope Okuselu graduated with first-class honors from the Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology (Toxicology Option), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). His passion lies in solving the menace of poor education, poverty, and plastic pollution in Nigeria. To realize the first of the challenges, Tolulope is hitherto a member of the Academic Excellence Initiative, where he believes in equal access to quality education for all. Thereafter, during his National Youth Service Corps year, he volunteered for the Financial Inclusion Peer Group Educator, where he led the team to enlighten the public on the need to maintain financial literacy. He was shortlisted for the Young Innovation Leaders fellowship where he aimed to solve the problem of plastic pollution in Nigeria through innovative and cutting edge approaches. As an online marketer and content writer, Tolulope is a co-founder and CEO of WhatsMart- an online advertising platform- that targets WhatsApp statuses and he is working arduously to ensure its sustainability.
Bignon Priscille Bijou DOSSOU is a friend of the environment having participated in several programs including the Young African Leaders Initiative as a member of the Civic leadership cohort in 2018. In 2019, she was enrolled in Activating a New Generation of Leaders and Entrepreneurs (ANGEL)’s Capacity Building Training and Intensive training initiated by the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Benin on Management and Business Academy for Women. In 2020, she was a laureate of the Water-Energy Food-Nexus Summer School at the TH Köln University of Applied Sciences in Germany and a laureate of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) program organized by the US Embassy in Benin. With a DAAD scholarship, she completed a master’s degree in food process bioengineering and specialized in the design of food processing units. Her passion for agribusiness led her to co-found with four young entrepreneurs the Agro Eco Services Cooperative, which provides organic fertilizers that revitalize the soil and increase crop yields.
Moyinoluwa Oladoye is a Veterinarian from the University of Ibadan where he finished with Distinction and numerous leadership awards. With a keen interest in improving healthcare access and delivery to underserved and marginalized communities of Africa, he believes in leveraging innovation, advocacy, and research in tackling some of the global health issues. Currently, Moyinoluwa is the Director of Collaboration and Research of the Slum and Rural Health Initiative (SRHIN) where he leads the team on research writing, submissions, and publications in peer-reviewed journals. He has been recognized as a Global Youth Ambassador at Theirworld (UK), 2020 U.S. Kectil Colleague, and a 2019 United Nations Millennium Fellow. Moyinoluwa aspires to contribute to global health by working on infectious disease control through research-based evidence and push for the implementation of effective policies to end health inequalities in Africa.
Abigail is an experienced media personnel, project manager, writer, passionate educator with over five years of experience in the media industry. She is interested in the field of media, specifically the role of the media in shaping human capital and economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa. She hopes to achieve this through research where she can work on fusing media and technology to solve developmental challenges. Currently, Abigail serves as an assistant programs manager in an education technology company, Hamoye where she oversees the life cycle of educational programs implemented across Africa and beyond. Abigail obtained her bachelor’s degree in mass communication where she graduated amongst the top five with a first-class degree. Her goal is to become a media scholar where she will propagate media initiatives that can salvage Africa’s underdevelopment problems. As an aspiring academic, she hopes to be an inspiration to the younger generation.
Olayinka Olaosebikan is a Junior Project Manager/Handover Officer with one of Nigeria’s leading real estate firms. Also, He is a young civil engineering graduate from the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta. He was the former National Coordinator of the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers Students’ Affiliate (2016/2017) with a particular interest in construction and real estate management, structural design, and real estate development. He is currently enrolled in an international Masters’s program in Berlin, Germany, where he seeks more opportunities that will facilitate the technological advancement of the real estate industry, which will benefit both the students, practicing engineers in Nigeria. He received the National NICESA Leadership Award in 2020 as he successfully coordinated the Real Estate Investors Series 1.0 & 2.0 and his active involvement in Civil Engineering and Innovation Summit. Olayinka continually seeks to proffer solutions to the housing deficit in Nigeria.
Enoch Dzane Nikoi is a very passionate creative designer, digital marketer, and graphic designer with an eye for style, color, and texture. He is a young graduate from the University of Ghana Business School, majoring in Marketing. He spent some time assisting some business startups like RecycleIT Ghana, Hair Communique, and also a co-founder of The Creative Potter, a graphic design company. He has worked with Heritage Discovery Learning Center and Cares for the Future of the Girl Child to bring smiles to the face of orphans at the Osu Children’s home in Accra, Ghana, and girls in the Amanten community, Bono East region, Ghana respectively. He is a sociable person and seeks to start an NGO shortly to help the community raise a better generation to come. He pioneered with his team, the social media presence of the Ghana Navy during the time he spent serving as a National Service Personnel.
Fatoumatta is a young passionate lady with a keen interest in research and preventable non-communicable diseases. She is a Clinical Research Nurse working with the Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia (MRCG@LSHTM), with over three years of experience in clinical trials, community fieldwork, and addressing public health issues. Fatoumatta holds a Bachelor`s degree (Cum Laude) in Nursing. She has participated twice as a delegate of WHO for GLOBAL GOALS MODEL UNITED NATIONS as “Youth in Action for SDGs”. She has always been active and passionate about volunteerism for the past few years and has volunteered with different health organizations in The Gambia. She is a Poet at Medpoetry; Healing words. Fatoumatta is an advocate and Founder of the Non-Communicable Disease Advocacy Alliance The Gambia (NCDAAG). She purposely created this platform to raise awareness on the impact of preventable NCDs, their causes, and prevention and to reach out to communities by health educating, imparting knowledge, and empowering youths.
Abdulazeez Salahudeen is a Pharmacist with more than four years of experience spanning the hospital and community sectors of the pharmaceutical industry. In the various settings, he has improved the systems and operations. He is an enthusiastic researcher with an interest in infectious diseases especially neglected tropical diseases, Pharmacovigilance and Pharmacogenomics. Abdulazeez is the co-founder/Superintendent Pharmacist of Hi-Care Pharmacy Limited- a pharmacy democratizing healthcare to low/middle-income earners in Ibadan. He is passionate about expanding universal healthcare delivery to hard-to-reach rural and suburban populations in sub-Saharan Africa. He sees himself leading the revolution to achieve health for all regardless of the divides- economic, geographic, academic, social, religious, ethnic- in the next five years. Abdulazeez holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago Iwoye, Nigeria graduating in the top 5% of his class. He is a Savvy fellow, a fellow of the African ChangeMakers Initiative, a fellow of ZerotoOne High Impact Leaders Fellowship, and a 2020 finalist of Afrika Kommt!
Oluwatoyin Faleke is a Media & Communications professional who is passionate about technological innovations, especially in the field of Public Health and their capability to improve human lives. Her passion for humanity drove her to co-invent the Urine-Powered Generator at the age of 15 and has opened her mind to the possibilities of sustainable solutions since then. She obtained a Bachelors’s Degree in Zoology from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife where she graduated top five in her class and underwent the Virtual Internship Programme at the West African Academy of Public Health, Abuja. She also has a certificate in ‘Digital Collaborative Systems in Healthcare’ from the Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Germany. Oluwatoyin constantly aims to synergize her passion for the health, tech, and creative industry to proffer scalable solutions to community health challenges and policies in Africa.
Victor Daniels is a social entrepreneur, SDGs advocate, and trailblazing young leader who has thus far demonstrated excellent acumen across various capacities from academic training to leadership and professional development. He is a recent first-class graduate of Microbiology, Lagos State University in which he clinched several academic and leadership awards. Victor is the co-founder of Agrinect, a tech startup that aims to create market access for farmers across Africa via innovative technologies. He is currently the CEO of The Ganglion Initiative, an NGO established to create a generation of youths equipped to respond to the dynamic challenges of Africa. Moreover, Victor is a facilitator with WARIF for the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative project. He is a 2020 Millennium Fellow, one of the 20 selected 2021 Youth In Development Fellow across Africa, and one of the 2021 MCN global admissions team lead for the Africa region. He is enthusiastic about product management, project management, and data analytics. He has found that nothing satisfies him more than developing innovative solutions to ravaging problems and contributing to the overall growth of the world at large.
Lilian Efobi is a Public Policy Professional and serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Nigerian Global Affairs Council (NIGAC). Lilian is passionate about Policy Advocacy, Good Governance, Democracy, Quality Education for all, and Youth Development. With over three years of experience in the Policy and International development space and has undergone so many leadership, fellowships, and training such as the YALI, African Changemakers, Global Goodwill Ambassadors, etc. Lilian has set forth a career path in the Public Policy space with a focus on Youth inclusion in governance, bridging the gender gap through quality Education advocacy and Democracy promotion. Lilian is also a Youth Opportunity Hub Ambassador, An Accountaprenuer by AccountabilityLab, and one of the top Innovators 2020 by the African Union.
Chris Awoke is an impact-driven entrepreneur and an advocate for sustainable agriculture through artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the internet of things (IoT). He bagged his B.Sc. in Zoology & Environmental Biology from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. In 2020, he launched Entoverta, an insect technology startup that solves the problems of the high cost of traditional livestock feeds and its accompanying adverse environmental impacts. Chris believes that humanity’s greatest problems can be solved through innovative thinking and knowledge-based actions. In 2018, he founded Wisdom Fount, a platform that equips young African entrepreneurs with innovative thinking. Chris has served in different leadership capacities and has received recognition for excellent service. During his National Youth Service Corps program, he was the NYSC Evaluation Committee leader and the NYSC Ogun State president for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), leading to NYSC awarding him a letter of commendation for meritorious service. Chris aspires to be a global business leader who helps organizations and nations achieve excellence.
Ekejiuba Kingsley Daberechi is the CEO of Diamond Class Logistics, an emerging manufacturing company in Nigeria. He is a renowned unionist, a strong advocate of youth inclusiveness, an ardent promoter of peace and a patriot. He believes that innovation is a necessary tool for effective business development. Ekejiuba has participatory interest in Entrepreneurship, politics and social welfare. He has an unquenchable thirst for education and learning with values based on trustworthiness, fairness, hard work, dedication to duty, responsiveness, zero tolerance for excuses and consistency. He is the Chairman of Progressive Abia Youths, a foremost youth advocacy group in Abia State and hold a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Certificates in Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Membership of Nigerian Institute of Management.
Imaji Victoria Mawedo holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Kogi State University Nigeria and graduated with a second-class upper. She also graduated with numerous academic and leadership awards. Some of which she was awarded a Certificate of Merit from the National Association of Philosophy Students 2017, Enactus Nigeria Leadership Conference 2018, and an Award Of Academic Excellence in the year 2017. She is a dedicated, organized, and experienced administrator with excellent skills which came in handy in her role as a volunteer in various community outreaches and projects. Over the years she has served in different capacities and still serves to date. Organizations like The Entire House Initiative, Alex Ladan Foundation, PeCap Foundation, Green Environment Network Enugu, and Towncrier Initiative can testify of her selfless attitude and commitment towards work. Victoria is passionate about impacting society positively and strives to be a good example to the younger generation.
Micah Yinpang Bavi Zing is a graduate of the University for Development Studies, UDS-Wa Campus, 2020, where he pursued a Bachelor of Science Degree in Development Management. He is one of the Emerging Public Leaders of Ghana placed at the Ministry of Roads and Highways, the Policy and Planning Directorate to be precise. He is also the founder and CEO of the In-Out Research Consult. He worked with the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development (CIKOD) as an intern/field officer in 2019. He again worked as a community researcher under the UDS Third Trimester Field Practical Programme (TTFPP) in Gadi, a community under Wa-West District of the Upper West Region of Ghana among other working experiences. He holds on to values of commitment, hard work, tolerance, integrity, diligence, and professionalism. He aspires to become an Archimedes in research and community development activities to assist policymakers in formulating vibrant government policies that can spur socio-economic development within Africa and beyond.
Brown Ejike is an Indian-trained engineer with first-class honors in Computer Science and Engineering. He is also a certified Software developer from Innovian Technologies – India. He served as a Graduate Assistant at the Federal University of Technology – Minna, Niger State. He is an engineer with Space and Research Development Agency and was part of the team that designed and launched “Cirrus-2″—Nigeria’s 1st satellite bus prototype with a camera payload using a tethered balloon. The project was a success as data for further research into aerial surveys from Low Earth Orbit was collated. Brown is an upcycling enthusiast who delights in turning trash into art, an experimental farmer, and a futurist, whose research interests include applying education to root cause analysis in Artificial Intelligence development for machines, and Natural Language processing. He is the co-founder of Child, Teen to Adult Academy – an academy poised to deliver holistic development of the African youth in Leadership, STEM, and Vocational skills.
Chibueze Chidire Victory is a purpose-driven young professional who perceives problems as opportunities in disguise. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health from the Federal University of Technology Owerri with additional HSE, Project Management, and Leadership certifications. She is a member African Health Professionals Organization, Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria, and Co-founder DINO Plantain Flour, and Natural drinks- a company that addresses nutrition by dietary modifications and healthy lifestyle sensitization. As a Researcher interested in making a measurable impact in Global Health and Agricultural Sector, She has co-authored multiple published works. She organized the first-ever campaign against drug abuse with her colleagues as an undergraduate and has Influenced persons through various platforms to make informed health decisions. She volunteers with various NGOs that implement programs affecting People Living with HIV/AIDS, Disabilities amongst others while adding value as a Content Creator. Having served in several positions of Leadership and capacity building with an equipped practical knowledge, Chidire is committed to driving change.
Mercy Abah Patrick is a multipotentialite, professional photographer, video editor, writer, and graduate of mathematics from the University of Abuja. As an ambassador of the Street project Foundation (SPF) she has contributed to the creation of a 13 episode radio drama to highlight the condition of youths in the nation and the creation of two billboards that were strategically placed in the FCT to draw the attention of those responsible for progressive change in the society. Being a part of the Women and Girls Advancements and Resources Centre (WAGARC) 2020 Boot Camp she has contributed to a chain of movements through various forms of advocacy. Constantly using photography to show what positive changes can occur in the society she is working in her immediate Community with the youths on a series titled “The Hustling Community” aims to spotlight the young minds hustling to make an honest living despite the times.