Ashoka in Western Africa

Okey is a global Leadership Group Member of Ashoka and currently leads the Youth Years strategy in Africa. In the last year, he has been establishing and co-leading strategic partnerships with government, faculties of education, publishers, education unions and the media, towards a movement that creates an enabling environment for young people to feel, act, and thrive as changemakers. Okey has been a pioneer in justice reform, security reform, and social transformation at the national and regional levels in West Africa for 15 years. Previously, he led the ECOWAS Commission reform program in improving transparency, accountability, effectiveness, and people participation in security decision making. He has supported regional policy formulation, parliamentary capacity building, knowledge sharing, and forging multilateral and multisector partnerships. He is the Founder of EduTrust Foundation and Ofala Publishers Ltd. A lawyer and Master’s degree holder in Conflict, Security and Development from King’s College London, Okey loves to write, to teach, and to capture beautiful moments of joy and wonder through poetry and travel photography.

Angelou’s love for the environment stretches far back to when she was a little girl who had the chance to escape the dense urban streets of Jersey City, New Jersey, to summer in her family’s home in upstate New York. After a brief stint of practicing law, it was through her work as a Legal Specialist for the New Jersey State Agriculture and Development Committee that Angelou embarked upon a career as an environmentalist.
 
 Angelou further honed her skills as a Project Manager for the Trust for Public Land (TPL) in both its New Jersey and Georgia offices. In her position, Angelou acquired land for preservation and worked on the New York/New Jersey Highlands Program, Parks for People-Newark, the New York/New Jersey Harbor Program in New Jersey, the Atlanta Beltline and the 20 County Regional Greenspace Initiative in Georgia.
 
While at TPL, Angelou realized the disconnect between the land that was being preserved and the education of people about that preservation—particularly as it related to our next generation. This was the impetus for the Greening Youth Foundation. As a woman and minority-founded and led non-profit, Angelou is at the helm of a movement to provide environmental and wellness education and career pathways to a new generation, both in the United States and in countries throughout Africa. Angelou was elected as an Ashoka Fellow in 2016 for her work at the Greening Youth Foundation, where she remains the CEO today. The Greening Youth Foundation is cultivating a generation of youth of color to be stewards of our land and natural resources, ultimately shifting the demographics of the environment conservation movement.
 
Angelou is a graduate of Spelman College, Georgia. She received her Juris Doctorate in Law from the University of Florida, College of Law. Angelou is a member of the National Center for Civil and Human Right’s Women in Solidarity Society, and Georgia Audubon boards; Advisory Board Member for Outdoor Afro, The Million Mile Greenway, Inc., Keeping It Wild, Inc., and Rachel’s Network; and most recently the author of “Engage, Connect, Protect: Empowering Diverse Youth as Environmental Leaders. Angelou is a lover of cultural dance, hiking and birds and good avocado toast! As recent empty-nesters, Angelou and her husband of 25 years, split their time between Atlanta, GA and Lagos, Nigeria.

Josephine Nzerem is a Social Entrepreneur who was elected an Ashoka Fellow in 2002 for her innovative work in the protection of women from disinheritance and other socio-economic abuses. In 2004 she received an award from the Junior Chambers International as the outstanding young person for the year, in the area of contribution to children, world peace and/or human rights. Josephine believes that women’s human rights must be recognized and upheld at all times. In 2011, she became the Regional Director of Anglophone West Africa. In this role, she is working towards creating an Everyone A Changemaker society by inspiring various communities in Anglophone West Africa to take initiative to solve social problems. She is also inspiring the Anglophone West Africa team to embody a high standard of excellence, innovation and commitment. Josephine’s educational background spams the areas of Dramatic Arts, Public and International Affairs and Psychology.

Born and brought up in the Coastal town of Mombasa in Kenya, where not many young girls went past primary school. Peris knew from a young age that she had to change that, by being a role model to other girls and youth in her home town and create opportunities for others to also succeed. She informally taught neighborhood children while still in primary school and led many other ventures. Currently she runs a Public Benefit Organization, Asilia Africa focused on improving Reproductive Health Services for marginalized and vulnerable women as part of reducing maternal morbidity and mortality. Peris joined Ashoka in 2012 and is currently the Director, Fellowship, Africa

Joy Akapa is a dynamic young lady dedicated to achieving the best results in any given situation. She holds a degree in Accounting from the Lagos State University in Nigeria. In 2008, she qualified as a chartered accountant under the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and has practiced her profession in three different companies including service oriented organizations. She is presently the financial Manager for Ashoka Anglophone West Africa. Joy likes to engage in community service and to give vent to this, she joined a group of volunteers who on a weekly basis give out food items and clothing to the less privileged in 6th Avenue, Festac Town, Lagos, Nigeria. This group also visits some government primary schools in the Festac area to distribute to indigent students, educational materials and snacks. They also utilise such opportunities to teach the pupils leadership skills and impart in them Godly principles for success.

Paula is passionate about food security, poverty alleviation, youth and female empowerment, and has contributed to academic researches that inform knowledge on the role of African women in Agriculture and the pricing system of agricultural produce on the Italian commodity exchange market.

She possesses a Master of Science degree in Agricultural and Food Economics, a Bachelor of Arts combined degree in Economics and Theatre Arts, and has over five years of work experience in diverse areas including, but not limited to, Project and Program Management, Partnerships, Human Resources and Retail Management.

Currently, she leads the Transforming Children and Youth Years program at Ashoka Anglophone West Africa and, supports Partnerships and Venture at Ashoka Africa. In this capacity, she is identifying and supporting young changemakers in the region to increase the visibility and social impact of their work while positioning them for success through collaborative partnerships with diverse stakeholders.

Ikenna Anyadike is the Venture & Fellowship Manager for Ashoka in Anglophone West Africa, where he leads the search, selection, and support of the region’s most impactful systems changing social entrepreneurs. He drives the growth of a strong pipeline of Fellows by cultivating nominator networks, opening doors to new communities, and aligning with emerging trends and partner priorities. Ikenna oversees the entire Fellow selection process, from initial to deep-dive interviews and on-site visits to authoring compelling Fellow profiles, working closely with country, regional, and global teams to ensure a rigorous, values-driven approach.

As a key bridge between Anglophone West Africa, and Ashoka’s global network, Ikenna secures resources, relationships, and visibility to expand and diversify the Fellowship in Anglophone West Africa. Through his leadership, Ashoka's Fellowship in Anglophone West Africa continues to thrive as a community of changemakers driving systemc impact.

Augustina Emele is a strategic changemaker with over a decade of experience designing and leading programs that drive impact across communities and policy systems. She has scaled national initiatives reaching more than two million people, built cross-sector collaborations, and managed high-value grant portfolios. Her leadership is rooted in equity, guided by curiosity, and anchored in accountability—ensuring systemic change empowers the people it serves.
A Chevening Scholar, Augustina holds a Master’s in Public Health from Imperial College London. She is currently Venture and Partnership Associate at Ashoka Africa, where she identifies and supports systems-changing social entrepreneurs across West Africa, while also managing the CTEACH program, advancing education transformation through changemaking.

Confidence Awak is a Strategic Communications and Storytelling Strategist working at the intersection of social impact, media, and technology. Known for creating strategies that drive action, she has grown digital communities, delivered high-impact campaigns, and brought changemaking narratives to life through influencer partnerships, documentaries, podcasts, and user-generated content.

Her work across the nonprofit and tech sectors focuses on amplifying the voices of changemakers and connecting them to the audiences, opportunities, and partnerships that help scale their impact. At Ashoka Africa, she has led initiatives reaching millions organically, launched storytelling products including a Changemaking Education documentary, and positioned changemaking at the heart of education, policy, and community conversations across Africa.

As a Legal Officer with a First-Class Bachelor of Laws Degree from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge and called to the Nigerian Bar in 2017, I am deeply committed to advancing human rights, gender equality, and access to education, especially for the girl child and in rural communities. My professional work is a direct extension of these passions, focusing on impact-based projects that promote skill acquisition and educational access for all.

My belief that education is the bedrock of a decent society is a driving force in my career. Currently, as a Change Manager at Ashoka, I apply my legal and advocacy skills to expand the organization's impact on young people. My work directly contributes to the "everyone a changemaker" movement, ensuring its continued growth and success. I am dedicated to being an active force in creating a world where every person has the opportunity to learn and grow.

I am a Chartered Accountant currently serving as the Finance Assistant for West Africa, and I also manage Africa Diamond Finance. I am dedicated to delivering high-quality financial support, with a strong commitment to accuracy, efficiency, and professional excellence.

Ugochuku Godfrey is a Computer Hardware Engineer with over 15 years of experience in computer systems and technology solutions. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Computer Engineering from Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, and currently serves as Office Administrator and Logistics for Ashoka Anglophone West Africa. In this role, he applies his technical expertise alongside organisational management to strengthen operations and support Ashoka’s mission.

Beyond Ashoka, he is the founder of Solidray Technology, which provides computer hardware repair services, and Solidray Academy, dedicated to equipping learners with practical technology skills.

In addition to his hardware background, He has expanded his expertise into web development, applying coding and design skills to build functional websites.

Joseph is passionate about education, children, and instructional practices. He is committed to improving teaching quality and applying educational research to improve classroom practices

He holds a Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) in Computer Science and Mathematics Education, and a Bachelor's degree in Educational Technology with a focus on Teacher Education. He had previously held roles focused on educational development, including State Academics Programme Manager for the EDOBEST project in Edo State, Leadership & Development Supervisor for the Lagos State EKOEXCEL Project. He also taught Teacher Education and Instructional Technology courses at the Federal College of Education, Zaria (now Federal University of Education, Zaria).

Currently, Joseph is the Project Coordinator for the CTEACH Program at Ashoka Anglophone West Africa. In this role, he works with teachers to embed changemaking in classroom practices and enable students to become changemakers.