2022 YIL Fellows

Magaji Yakubu Yuguda is a young Lecturer,  Biochemist who graduated from Gombe State University in 2018 and currently doing his M.Sc. in Biotechnology at Bayero University, Kano. He is a Member Nigeria Society of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (NSBMB) and a Member Nigeria Bioinformatics and Genomic Network (NBGN). Apart from his research and publications, he is also deeply involved in tackling food scarcity, creating job opportunities through research, innovations, and Agricultural practices, Continuing medical education, Basic Life Support (BLS) provider, Adult, and Paediatric Life Support Provider, AED, CPR, First Aid Provider, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Provider, and Mental Health Awareness. He wants to be a Novel Prize winner as a result of his innovations that will solve most of the diseases and conditions that affect our society and the world at large. He enjoys giving to charity, helping people to progress, reading, and traveling.

Eniola Oni is a multipotentialite in Leadership and Administration, Social Impact and Advocacy, Mentorship, Oration, and Marketing (Communications, Performance & Growth). She is the winner of Future Brand Idol’20, earning a scholarship to study in the best brands communications school in West Africa, and graduating as the best strategist. An alumnus of the MCN/UNAI where she was Campus Director, she advocates SDG 4 & 5. Out of the desire to help African females see the need to break out of societal stereotypes, develop the right mindsets, and add value to themselves, she founded Dear-Lady-360°. She also works as a Communications Manager at SprinNG, an organization for the Promotion and Improvement of Nigerian Gen-Zs’ writing. In the future, she hopes to become the COO of billion-dollar start-ups and sit on boards that will enact laws against Gender-based violence.

Ibitomi Ibiwumi Otunola is a young History graduate of the University of Abuja and is currently the community relations manager of Street2School foundation, where he has helped launch the first mobile school in Nigeria, located in Zamani, Abuja FCT. He is the recipient of the 2021 Roddenberry foundation catalyst grant, a UPG sustainability leader, and the winner of the MICC essay competition. Beyond his keen interests in education, technology, and research, Ibitomi’s future plan is to use community ideas and research to develop community-centered solutions. Ibitomi is also the program coordinator of the Ile-Iwe project, an initiative aimed at bridging the digital divide in low-income Nigerian homes. He wants to be a Researcher-Digital education innovator, using cutting-edge tools, skills, and technologies to solve some of Nigeria’s pressing challenges, particularly in education and community development. He enjoys meditation and traveling and he is a global citizen.

Afuye, Raymond Olasunkanmi is a First-Class honors graduate, from the department of Computer Engineering, Ekiti State University, where he received an Award as the best student in the department, he was also the President of the largest student fellowship (RCF) on campus.  He is passionate about research and the development of technology in Africa, He was a volunteer with Start Codon ltd. Uk(Cambridge University), where he joined a team of Young researchers across Africa to research Biotechnology startup firms in Africa. He is currently undergoing his NYSC in Delta state Nigeria, serving at Bigt Infotech Solutions LTD, as a robotics Trainer. He is currently a member of the Data Science Nigeria Research group, where he is being mentored on the publication of his research work in embedded systems, He is an aspiring machine learning engineer, aspiring to solve some health care, industrial and economic challenges.

Adetula David Oluwatimilehin is an emerging Dental Surgeon. He holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) degree in Botany from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He is a member of the Committee on Dental Education and Health (CODEH) in his institution where he regularly volunteers for health outreaches to communities with limited access to oral healthcare. David believes some of Africa’s biggest healthcare problems could be solved if each country’s public health functions appropriately. This is where he hopes to focus after graduation. As a published writer on both local and international platforms, David’s excellent writing skill has earned him several recognitions and accolades including emerging as a Finalist, in the 2021 World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) National Essay Competition, an invitation from the Royal Commonwealth Society to serve as a Judge in the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2021. David is currently a Writing Fellow at African Liberty and Students for Liberty (SFL).

Abdulmudallib Ibrahim is a first-class graduate of Statistics from Taraba State University, Jalingo, and is currently a master’s degree student at Modibbo Adama University, Yola. He was the best graduate of his class while at the university and also the best graduating student at Hassan Bappa Education Foundation (Computer Training School) Jalingo, Class of 2010. He is a very experienced data analyst and data collector who has analyzed and collected data for individuals and organizations, which includes the Institute of Public Health (iph), Obafemi Awolowo University, and Ile-Ife. He is also a member of the Professional Statistician Society of Nigeria (PSSN) and the International Association for Statistical Computing-African Members Group (IASC-AMG). He also belongs to some non-governmental organizations that provide free services to orphans and less privileged ones. He loves reading, researching, and traveling.

He aspires to be a role model for the younger generation as a young academic.

Akinade, Oluwatimilehin Amos studied English Education and graduated with Second Class Upper Division from the Tai Solarin University of Education in (2021) and Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) from Federal College of Education, Abeokuta in (2016). Timmy has carried out Exploratory Action Research, a classroom but international research with publication fully coordinated by the British Council. Recently, he participated as a speaker in a Global Online Event on English Connects Action Research alongside eighteen other teacher-researchers from Ethiopia, Sudan, and Nigeria at the British Council Secretariat, Lagos. He is the founder of GBP Digital World, a registered photography and videography firm, that has been nominated under the Education Category for a maiden award in his local government, the Ijebu North Youth Award, (2022). As a trained and registered teacher and photographer with a keen research interest, his passion is geared towards proffering solutions to educational problems as an Edupreneur. With this, challenges faced by teachers, learners, and institutions on education would innovatively be tackled.”

Ann is a talented chemical engineer intrigued by science and engineering and its role in enhancing the quality of life. She is currently an R&D specialist at Sanergy, a waste upcycling company applying circularity to solve urban sanitation challenges. She holds a first-class honors degree in chemical and process engineering from Moi University where she graduated top four in her class. Notable achievements in her career include G.E. registration with the Engineers Board of Kenya, certification in six sigma, participation in the Forward Program, and YLP coaching by McKinsey & Company. She’s also championed several improvement projects in the pharmaceutical and FMCG sectors. In paying it forward, Ann joined Girls First Finance to mentor young girls. In the future, she hopes to take part in building sustainable solutions in engineering and beyond.

Arinze Maduabuchi Kingsley is a First Class Mechanical Engineering graduate of the University of Nigeria Nsukka. During undergraduate, he emerged the Outstanding Legislator of the Year 2021. He demonstrated great leadership abilities as an Honorable Member of the Engineering House of Representatives. He is a 2021 Finalist of the WIPO Essay Contest, and a top 10 (8th position) candidate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) Essay Competition 2021. He is passionate about Climate Change and has participated in Climate Actions through his membership at Grey2Green Movement: a youth-led climate justice and air-quality advocacy movement. Maduabuchi is a co-founder at Modrelaff, a renewable energy-oriented team. 

He envisions becoming a Serial Innovator as he looks forward to proffering solutions to the problem of energy generation and transmission in Nigeria. He likes writing, product designing, and watching football.”

Asnake Amelo is a 2021 medical school graduate from Hawassa University. She received a full scholarship from UN summer academy. She is a semifinalist fellow of the Aspire Young Leaders Program from Harvard University. She has won full scholarship to attend the World Youth Forum 2021 in Egypt. She’s focused on the emerging fields of medicine such as molecular medicine, genomic medicine, robotic medicine and cancer research, and believes to play pivotal role in the transformation of medicine. She is highly passionate about health equity and justice. She aspires to be a Research/innovator/physician with lustrous accomplishments that would tackle the major challenges of health and medicine

Asiegbu Chimdiya Charles is a policy, research, and data analyst with over six years of professional experience in policy, research, administration, and development. He currently works as a policy research analyst at the NexTier Group, an international development consulting firm that helps shape evidence-based policies, programming, and performance evaluations. At NexTier, he has managed projects for clients like the European Union, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the British Council, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Central Bank of Nigeria. An essential part of his work in NexTier is to lead the two-year-old NexTier SPD Violent Conflict database, where he scrapes, analyses designs and publishes the Nigeria Conflict Trend. The database tracks local and international media-reported security incidents in Nigeria. This project’s importance is using data on violent conflict occurrences around Nigeria to give insights in an easy-to-understand way. He is a member of three (3) impactful professional fellowships in Nigeria and the world. First is the Open Minds, Young Voices fellowship (OMYV) organized by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Nigeria. Second is the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG). The third is the International Foundation for Sustainable Peace and Development (IFSPD) Presidential Fellowship. Charles is also a founding member of the Young Professionals in Policy and Development (YouPaD). This youth-led non-governmental organization equips young people with the right tools to progress in governance, climate change, entrepreneurship, and overall development.  He is currently volunteering to help implement the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung-funded Agora by YouPaD. This dialogue series brings young professionals together to discuss topical issues and advocate for a better society. His research interests include governance, democracy, public policy, security and peace,  international relations, youth inclusion, SGBV, and CSO advocacy strategies. 

Chizoba Obiajunwa is the founder and Executive Director of Skillwise Academy; a digital learning platform where children and teenagers are trained and equipped with the relevant soft skills needed to succeed and be outstanding in this evolving, digital age. She is also the founder of Empower Her Initiative, a Non-profit Organisation focused on promoting the cause and advancement of the education, health, and rights of young African women and girls through advocacy, trainings, and various online and offline empowerment programs. She is also the founder of Girls Learning Network, a platform conceived to provide young girls with training resources, tools, opportunities, strategies, and mentorship needed to survive and thrive in this age. She has written and published two books on life skills – “16 Life Skills Your child Should Have Before Turning 16”, and “The Ultimate Life Skills Guide For 21st Century Children and Teens”. She is currently an MBA candidate at Nexford University.

Christiana Sarah Macarthy is the Head of Marketing, News reporter and camera operator at the Africa Young Voices Media Empire (AYV), in ensuring we get advert and news, which involves in depth communication to our customers. 

She holds a Bachelor’s of Art Honors Degree in Mass Communication, at the University of Makeni.

She served in different capacities as a Community Animator for Mankind’s Activities For Development Accreditation Movement (MADAM) with the UK’s department  for international development (DFID) in 2019 and as a Social Mobiliser for ABC- Development/ Trocaire in 2017.

Christiana is willing learner who loves to take challenges and very much interested in a bigger position that challenges my skills and abilities. She is highly determined, competent, well organized, outgoing and a good communicator. 

As a journalist,  she is very passionate in serving humanity as the profession demands.

Daniel Mogere is passionate about creating simple, ingenious, elegant solutions to business and socio-economic problems. He is highly adaptive and multifaceted; you’d count on him to talk to people (convincingly) and still will be at home with working with numbers behind a computer screen. Daniel has a degree in Actuarial Science from Egerton University, Kenya. He has worked before with Pula Advisors, an Agri-Insurtech startup in Kenya and now has presence in over 13 countries spread out across Africa, S.E Asia, Brazil, and Nepal. At Pula, he helped the innovation team to build digital products for smallholder farmers to improve their access to financing by providing microinsurance and also provide agronomic tips via mobile phone, Whatsapp, and field training. Daniel is passionate about solving problems using data and hence is highly-skilled with working with big data sets to derive insights, analyze data, and build models guided by data science techniques. When he is not behind a computer screen, you’d be sure to have him join you for a hike, playing or watching soccer, or a book date.

Elias Munezero is a social entrepreneur passionate about animal feed production. He is a leader, an innovator, and a project manager. He is the founder of Anim-health Boost, an enterprise operating in the slums of Bujumbura, Burundi, and co-founder of Goshen Maggot farm which aims at producing larvae from black soldier flies. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Crop Production from the University of Burundi in 2016 where he was the best graduating student in his department with a First-Class Honors degree. Elias has worked as a customer care advisor in telecommunication companies and as a coffee washing station manager. He is currently a final year student pursuing MSc. in Agri-enterprises development at Gulu University in Uganda under MasterCard Foundation (TAGDev Project) through RUFORUM, since March 2021. He is a fellow in the MFAI  cohort 2, 2022 funded by the US embassy in Kampala, and as well a fellow of the YIL fellowship 2022. He would like to lead the conduction of research in waste management and establish partnerships with other players in Burundi to push the formulation of practical policies on environment conservation through animal feed production.

Okonmah Esther is a 5th-year Pharm.D candidate and former Editor-in-chief, Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria Students (PANS), University of Benin, Edo State. She was the Marketing Mentee, among over 700+ applicants in the first-ever mentorship program by Clorets Nigeria, a subsidiary of Mondelez Group in 2021. Esther enjoys volunteering in health and social impact activism. A one-time Executive Assistant and Vice President (Admin) at Chronic Disease Mate For Africa (CDMA), a youth-led, nonprofit health organization, committed to curbing fast-rising cases and deaths by chronic and Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Africa. She’s currently serving as 1 of the 81 youth Africa leaders and the 24 members of the Nigeria Youth Task Team, launched by Restless Development and Youth Opportunity & Transformation in Africa (YOTA) with funding from the Ford Foundation. A slightly-off but happy dancer, Esther divides her free time between reading autobiographies & writing stories.

Katiso Samuel Maleke is a Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management graduate from the National University of Lesotho and a Postgraduate Labor Law candidate. His core had skill is linked to his qualification in conflict resolution, mediation and reconciliation. As a leader, he contributes most of his time at the Hands of Life, an NGO based on enhancing leadership and inspiring young people to express and enhance their intellect. He works at the Elisabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation where he aggressively contributes towards the eradication of HIV through peer support groups and medication adherence and Youth engagement towards sexual reproductive health. Katiso has participated and headed various change projects with the United Nations Development program, United States Embassy and the European Union throughout all of Lesotho. He is also a humanitarian with various badges under his belt, a YALI fellow and a strong mental health activist.

Abdullahi Liban mahad is a passionate social entrepreneur and freelance digital creator with over 6 years experience working in Corporate and nonprofit sectors and whose aim is to empower and inspire young people in East Africa to take modest steps toward making big strides.

He graduated with a BA in international relations and diplomacy from the University of Somalia, and he is currently the general manager of Cadaani Ltd. where he is responsible for the company’s management, including its operations, administration, and human resources. In addition to his work at Cadaani, Mr. Liban is a co-founder of Tayo Training and Recruitment Agency, a company that offers vocational training while also connecting talented young people to employers. 

In 2020, Liban won the SYTF award for Somalia’s best youth entrepreneur. He has dedicated his life to inspiring and assisting young people in Africa to start small and become big through social enterprises that focus on solving social problems.

Jack, Nonyameko Dimpho is an aspiring Psychologist. She is honest, hardworking, and always thrives to excel in anything that she does. Her focus is on mental health accessibility and affordability for young professionals and people at large, both of which she believes are crucial for Africa’s transformation. Realizing the struggles, she has faced, especially as a student and not having the right information and facing challenges with affording therapy sessions, she wants to create an affordable and easy-to-access space for learners and university students.

 She is a Digital Customer care Consultant by profession at Multichoice South Africa. Miss Jack has worked with Telesure Investment Holdings and is currently working with Multichoice as a consultant. In 2019, she enrolled at the University of South Africa to further her studies as her passion to help was always at the forefront of everything she did. In May 2022, she took part in the Great Kei Unemployment Hackathon with The Empire Partner Foundation where she was awarded the Nyara Youth Development award for her work and participation in the hackathon. In her free time, she loves to read, write, think, and listen to good music. 

Abeni, Ogah Paul is a Chemistry graduate of the Benue State University, Makurdi where he finished as the (2018) third-best graduating student with Distinction in his Department. He is a (2017) Federal Scholarship Board Scholar. His research work on prototyping a smart and highly efficient electric vehicle engine (the Switched Mode Power electric motor) that provides exceptional range performance for electric cars earned him the stage as one of the speakers in the (2020) Edition of the International Conference on Green Chemistry and Renewable Energy held in Tokyo, Japan. Beyond his keen interests in clean energy, Ogah is passionate about Leadership in Business and entrepreneurship. In (2019), he Founded Isunder Green Technology Services, an organization that aims to provide assembling and maintenance services for electric cars in Nigeria. He wants to be an Environmentalist, Scientist, and Innovator.

Rehab is a Public Health and Community Medicine demonstrator at the Alexandria Faculty of Medicine. Rehab is a Scholar Alumna of Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education (AGFE), graduated Summa Cum Laude from the College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University (ASU) with a Master’s degree in International Health Management (MIHM) in partnership with the School of Population Health, University of New South Wales (UNSW). As a public health demonstrator, Rehab is passionate about leveraging her leadership, organizational, and teamwork skills to help boost preventive medicine in both developed and under-privileged communities, advocating for competent healthcare systems that offer high-quality efficient services. Rehab is the Outstanding Graduate Student Leader winner at ASU’s tenth annual Pitchfork Award. Also, she is a co-founder of an Egyptian educational student organization and winner of the Change Maker Award for Group Service. Eventually, her health-related Prototype #SavvyCare is a finalist at the Universitas 21 RISE Awards 2022, upon UNSW nomination. “RISE (Real Impact on Society and Environment) is an international showcase of student achievement in sustainability and social innovation” 

Robin Kinuthia Kariuki’s professional experience is drawn largely from being the Founder and Chairman of the Mombasa Environmentally Conscious Organization (MECO) which is a youth group aimed at the creation of a platform for youth with innovations in the environmental space to build on their ideas and translate them to real-world solutions that can be used to serve the local community. As Chairman, she had the privileged to lead a team of very innovative youth to win the first-ever Mombasa Circular Economy Hackathon where they presented one of their flagship innovations, we participated in the Mombasa Solid Waste Hackathon co-hosted by the county government as well as numerous private sector stakeholders where their presentation as MECO gained high praise and pledges for support. In addition to Innovations in plastic waste recycling, She has led community development Forum where they had a mutual understanding with the community members to develop a mangrove ecosystem restoration project owing to the increasing degradation of these natural resources. She was invited to attend a public participation meeting to review a SESA report prepared by the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency as a youth representative and leader. Recently she participated in the On The Road to Stockholm +50 Hackathon where she and her team presented the winning policy brief.

Raqibat is a diligent and dynamic professional with growing experiences in Business Design, Digital Transformation, and Strategic management.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics and Extension graduate of Ambrose Alli University. She had attained numerous training and relevant experience that has significantly improved her professional forte.

She was selected as one of the five Leaving the Tarmac Mentored Interns by Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede (former CEO of Access Bank and Chairman of Coronation Group) under Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Where she currently works with Trium Limited, venture capital and private equity that is focused on transforming Africa Entrepreneurial landscape using innovative technologies. She also won the Product Management scholarship award sponsored by Ingressive4good with Entry Level and African Advanced Scholarship with Udacity.

She is passionate about leveraging innovative and emerging technologies to create efficiency. Beyond this, she has a keen interest in bridging the gap in access to digital technologies in underprivileged communities. 

She is an avid mental and physical health and lifestyle practitioner and advocate. She loves running, writing, and learning.”

Ruth Kimani is a multi-passionate student of life. She chooses a life of service and aligns her purpose to elevate humanity.

She is a passionate speaker on purpose and thought leadership with an aim to challenge and disrupt the status quo. She believes that in every individual lies greatness and speaks to transform and to awaken the greatness within.

She is a People Strategy consultant at Rensyl Integral where she works with individuals and organizations to foster trusting teams and good work environments enabling growth.

She is also the Founder and Creative director at Rumann Craft where she uses design to express and inspire boldness through fashion.

She is an Event host/Moderator who envisions conversations as the spark to drive change and rethink paradigms.

In her spare time, she is a poet, science communicator and environmental conservationist.

Sayedi Umar Mohammed is a final-year student of Applied Chemistry, at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto, Nigeria. He is a certified Business Manager from the European Business University of Luxembourg. Sayedi is the CEO and founder of GreenLITE Solution and Glowsum cosmetics. He is also a campus reporter at Vanguard Press UDUS and Director of Graphics at Drug-Free Club UDUS. As an advocate of a greener society, he founded GreenLITE solution; a startup firm that focuses on recycling plastic waste and peanut husk waste into a wooden-like material known as PHP composites, to replace woods and reduce deforestation and plastic waste. Sayedi was a 2021 NSVP finalist, a 2022 Hultz prize on campus winner, a 2022 SOSF finalist, and a participant in the Innovation Challenge in Sustainable Chemistry and Waste. He aspires to be an innovator and to build a conglomerate business that upholds all social responsibilities and the majority of SDGs.

Seblewongel Girma Bayu is a passionate, hardworking mentor and coordinator  to Make a Mark Africa youth development program in South Africa. She is also an ambassador to best diplomats united nations simulation conference and best delegation winner 2022 as a country in Istanbul, Turkey. She was a delegate to Botswana on 4th March 2022. Seblewongel is an honorable delegate award winner to Model African Union Ethiopia simulation conference in 2022. She was also a delegate to Uganda on 21 may 2022. Seblewongel is a networker in digital marketing and very passionate about mutual benefits in business. She gives volunteering services to NGOs and institutions working with childrens and very passionate about bringing the Africa we all want by working on the youth as a vehicle to social, economic and political development of Africa.

Sydney Jasmine-Daka is a vibrant, creative, and innovative youth who is determined to proffer engineering solutions to technological deficiencies in Africa. He believes that focusing energy on building the new will solve these issues; not fighting old ways. He studied Electrical Electronics Engineering at Rivers State University and has (6) years of experience teaching, designing, and programming embedded systems. He led a three-man team that took second place at an exhibition held by the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Port Harcourt chapter. He also led four-man team that won first place in an engineering exhibition hosted by NUESA, Rivers State University’s fourth regional event under the CODET program and represented southern Nigeria at national level in Abuja. Currently working as a field professional at Halliburton Energy Services, Port Harcourt

Kamtambe Zione Esther is a young Malawian innovative project manager with broad experience managing projects in the public and private sectors. Her expertise extends to data management, monitoring and evaluation, and grant writing. She also possesses a proven track record of leading teams and communicating project expectations to team members and translating project vision to reality. She is also an entrepreneur who founded 21st-century business solutions, a WASH (water supply, sanitation, and hygiene) specialist, a content creator, and an author of the book “The heroic Journey of Shiloh which is also available on Amazon Kindle.” In addition, she is an International writers council fellow, menstrual hygiene management champion trained by WSSCC, and a participatory safe water management specialist in African countries trained by JICA. She graduated from the University of Malawi, the Polytechnic with a BSc in Environmental Health, and she received DR David Livingstone’s merit-based award before graduating.