Ashoka Young Changemakers: Africa

Ayomide Akran is a young changemaker dedicated to attaining a sustainable environment and gender equality within Nigeria. She is committed to ensuring a better and safer recycling system for Nigeria and providing sustainable reusable pads for young girls that have special needs and for young girls in underserved communities.​

She is also empowering young girls through self-esteem coaching and counselling engagements to ensure that they do not let situations beyond their control overwhelm them and impede their ability to achieve their potential.​

Splendour Kalu is a young changemaker dedicated to empowering students, especially young girls, in rural communities within Nigeria, with digital skills. ​

​Through his initiative, Communities Will Connect, he is bridging the digital literacy gap by providing young girls and boys in these communities, the opportunity to learn the basics of coding, master computer skills and become innovators who can solve problems in their own communities using technology.

Jonathan is bridging the gap in digital skills and lack of access to computer education. His organization works with young students on digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and leadership along with providing resources in the STEM field.  ​

Jonathan is also a sustainable environment advocate and has through his initiative provided waste management robots that encourage children to recycle and keep the environment clean.

Deborah is a young changemaker who is committed to creating a safe environment for young people from sexual violence, and to helping them make better decisions about their sexual safety through Advocacy, Training and Empowerment. ​

She is using Community Leadership, Creative Sex education and Design Thinking to help them not just stay safe from sexual abuse, but to create sustainable solutions to gender-based violence, self-esteem building and other related social problems that these young people encounter.​

David Onilude is a young Nigerian changemaker who is empowering and improving the livelihoods of children in unserved communities in Nigeria through digital technology. ​

He has designed a system to eradicate digital illiteracy in a very sustainable way by providing young people with the resources, skills and support they need to harness opportunities and attain better outcomes for their future.

​Godwin Kevin is a young changemaker working and ensuring access to opportunities for young people. He is committed to connecting young people to available resources, training and engagements that help them become individuals desiring change and working towards the actualization of youth engagement for positive impact.​

​He believes there is a role for every young person and that with proper coaching, opportunities and engagement, young people can influence change in their communities.

Abeedah Alabi is a creative young changemaker from Nigeria who is dedicated to tackling the issue of climate change illiteracy among young people in her community and across the country. She is motivated by her personal experience of being a victim of environmental disasters such as flooding caused by plastic and waste-blocked drainages, which left her with injuries after crossing waters whose depths she could not discern to access education daily. 

Abeedah understands that a shift in mindset is the first step to acting toward reducing the devastating effects of the climate change problem in Nigeria. She is filling the knowledge gap and empowering young people in primary and secondary schools, with the necessary information and skills to address climate change in their communities. Together with partners, she sets up eco-clubs in schools to promote environmental sustainability practices and engage students in climate action participation through storytelling sessions. Additionally, she uses online campaigns to raise public awareness about climate change and sustainability. 

Amara Nwuneli is a passionate and creative young Nigerian-American changemaker, dedicated to empowering young people and partnering with various organizations and individuals to help create awareness about climate change and getting all relevant stakeholders involved in finding lasting solutions to climate change.   

Amara is championing youth-led changemakers, supporting and mobilizing innovation and change through climate education courses and boot camps, educational hubs, informational videos, social media presence, and local projects, towards ensuring the varying impacts of climate change are reduced. Along with other partners, she is providing relief assistance to the victims of flooding and other climate issues in underserved communities. 

Muhammad Usman is a young Nigerian changemaker who is extending access to school education and vocational skills development to out-of-school and the Almajirai children in Northern Nigeria. He is supporting the development and economic empowerment of these less privileged children and youth by working with strategic partners to provide them with education and skills acquisition sponsorships and creative development workshops.  

He firmly believes in the power of community-led solutions and is working with indigenous stakeholders in these communities to provide sustainable solutions to the food insecurity, clothing, and shelter problems faced by street children and Almajirai children. Additionally, he continues to raise awareness of these issues through media partners, other community-based organizations, and youth-led organizations to ensure proper sensitization of the public on the urgency of these issues and the need to take collective action for sustained impact. 

Joshua Chiefo-Ejiofobiri is a young changemaker from Nigeria who is increasing access to high-quality Information Technology (IT) and STEM education for young people in Nigeria. Joshua believes that the Tech space should be inclusive irrespective of social-economic background. However, contrary to his belief, there have been unequal distributions in the quality of IT/STEM education in Nigeria's primary and secondary education system.  

In response to this problem, Joshua is working with schools, community centres, expert trainers, and funding corporate partners to overturn the situation for young people from less privileged backgrounds by providing them with free to low-cost high-quality Information Technology education boot camps, training, learning resources, and a network where they can access opportunities after gaining the required skills. His mission is to bridge the digital divide and equip the next generation with essential technical skills and knowledge that are in high demand in today's rapidly evolving job market. 

Magnus Essien Imam is a young Nigerian changemaker who is dedicated to empowering young people with access to information and opportunities regardless of their socio-economic background or situation in life. He is addressing the problem of inadequate access to information and opportunities that is prevalent among young people from disadvantaged families and communities in Nigeria. He takes inspiration from the journey of his life that has involved surviving against all odds despite facing economic challenges as a child. His first-hand experience with a lack of access to resources required him to learn very early that success is often found by believing in oneself, obtaining knowledge, and having access to opportunities.  

Magnus is building the capacity of young people across Nigeria through a range of training programs, seminars, workshops, and online courses that provide them with practical skills, knowledge, and avenues for harnessing opportunities that they need to succeed in life. He works with schools, churches, and other non-governmental organizations to implement school projects and educational initiatives that foster the personal development and leadership abilities of young people as changemakers, who can provide solutions to problems faced in their respective communities. He is also leveraging technology to reach a wider audience and provide online resources to young people in Nigeria and beyond. 

Victor Eyo is a young Nigerian changemaker who is ensuring access to digital skills training for other young Africans, especially those who are from marginalized communities, living with disability, displaced, or from less privileged backgrounds. He is raising teen tech entrepreneurs by increasing the access of these often-excluded groups of young Africans to digital skills and opportunities through training workshops and boot camps, organized in conjunction with various partners.  

Victor is advocating for access to digital skills for all Africans, to help bridge the digital gap created by the emergence of new technology and the shift from an analog to a digital reality. Victor and his team believe the future of Tech for every African Teenager is now and they are working to equip Every African Teenager with digital skills, thereby unlocking Africa’s digital economy one community at a time. 

Ruth Egbedi is a young Nigerian changemaker who is taking significant strides towards enhancing menstrual health education, achieving environmental sustainability, and attaining gender equality in STEM in Nigeria. Ruth is firm in her belief that girls in Africa can unlock their complete potential when given proper support.  

Ruth is committed to tackling period poverty and ensuring a better and safer recycling system for Nigeria by providing training to underprivileged young women and girls on how to make reusable pads from sustainable and hygienic materials that are easily sourced from their environment. Additionally, she is empowering more young girls to enter the STEM field through career counselling engagements that ensure that they are properly enlightened and supported in their dreams to study STEM courses and take up careers in STEM fields. 

Favour is a young changemaker from Nigeria who is passionate about advocating against teenage pregnancy, sex trafficking, child marriage, rape, gender inequality, and other violent practices against women, girls, and children. She is empowering victims to reduce the stigma that they face in society. 

As a victim of sexual abuse, Favour is ensuring that more women, girls, and children do not have to experience the trauma that comes from abuse without support and that society is aware of these vices and is taking collective action towards tackling them. Through her work, she is supporting victims through rehabilitation, access to education, and skills training which allows them to become more self-confident and financially independent as they are assisted to reintegrate into society. 

Peter is a young changemaker from Nigeria who is ensuring that young Africans are equipped with the skills, resources, and opportunities to become problem solvers, transformational leaders, and changemakers in their communities and globally. He is dedicated to inspiring and empowering young people to gain 21st-century skills that they need to thrive in today's world. 

Peter works with innovation hubs, public schools, community centers, and expert trainers to tackle the glaring problems of non-transformative leadership and digital illiteracy that are often seen across many low-income communities. With his work, he is providing young people from less privileged backgrounds with access to leadership seminars and digital skills training workshops. His mission is to increase the number of young changemakers in these communities while bridging the digital divide gap caused by a lack of access to information and resources. 

Dawn Cobham is a young changemaker from Nigeria who is an advocate for supplementary education as support to classroom lessons. She is determined to help students boost their academic performance by promoting access to high quality education through online coaching and the provision of educational resources that help young people achieve better learning outcomes. 

As a child who did not have access to after school educational support, due to lack of funds and had to navigate online for scarcely available virtual learning resources to completely understand certain school topics, she is now on a mission to bridge the gap for access to supplementary education by providing easily accessible and relevant online resources and, organizing peer to peer learning opportunities for young people.  

Flourish Alonge is a young changemaker from Nigeria who is addressing the wide gap that exists between the awareness (information) and treatment of mental health issues which often persists because of miseducation, stigma, and cultural orientation. Based on her struggles with her mental health, she has made it her life's mission to improve young people's access to relevant mental health resources and access to quality care for people living with mental health issues. 

Through a dual approach of virtual and in-person gatherings, Flourish is increasing awareness about the importance of mental health through webinars, social media platforms, and physical outreaches to schools. She is creating a safe space for young people to discuss and become enlightened about mental health, symptoms, and treatment of mental health issues while empowering them with self-care mechanisms and healthy habits for ensuring mental well-being. Furthermore, she is advocating for the training of the next generation of medical practitioners, who are passionate about mental wellbeing and dedicated to providing quality care for those living with mental health issues irrespective of their socio-economic status. 

Saviour is a young changemaker from Nigeria who started addressing the issue of climate change at the age of 15. She is currently ensuring that students in the formal education system and out of school are aware of the climate issues plaguing Nigeria and the world, are receiving adequate climate education and are acting towards protecting the environment. Saviour started by leading recycling interventions in schools, to ensure that students are learning in healthy environments, reduce waste pollution and help students understand the dangers of poor waste management.  

Saviour is accelerating impact through 3 methods. Climate Education: bridging the gap between formal education and climate education by supporting green clubs and empowering educators. Climate Leadership: by activating young people to lead action and drive advocacy through workshops and training. Youth Mobilization for Action: by mobilizing young people to take concrete actions to protect the planet and lead advocacy efforts. Through these efforts, Team Illuminate hopes to bring climate education to all corners of the earth, empower young people to lead interventions and mobilize them to take concrete actions. 

Ashraf Aminu is a young changemaker from Nigeria dedicated to eradicating the issue of street children and helping out-of-school children in Northern Nigeria to harness their abilities, helping them upskill and connecting them to opportunities that keep them engaged, ensuring they do not feel marginalized or excluded, undermining their agency and resilience.  

Ashraf combines Participatory and Bottom-up approaches to address these issues while leveraging spoken word poetry and calligraphy as mediums for awareness and inspiration. The Participatory approach involves engaging community members, including young people, in decision-making processes, problem-solving, and program implementation. Through his participatory workshops and focus groups, he creates spaces for dialogue, collaboration, and co-creation, ensuring that his interventions are responsive to the needs, priorities, and aspirations of the communities he serves.

Naomi Bamgbose is a young changemaker from Nigeria committed to bridging the gender gap that exists in STEM fields. She is committed to ensuring more young girls are in the STEM field, as she has been the only girl in certain STEM spaces. Despite this being the 21st century, she believes young girls are still affected by stereotypes and are allowing societal biases to prevent them from venturing into the STEM field.   

Naomi is connecting, empowering, and inspiring young girls in STEM. Through hackathons, girls-focused workshops, mentorship programmes that pair up ambitious young girls in STEM with seasoned mentors, and an online support and collaboration network, she is creating a more equitable and diverse tech ecosystem. To inspire more young girls and increase the visibility of young girls in the tech sector, she shares the journey of young girls in STEM on social media. By providing young girls with the skills, confidence, and job opportunities, Naomi is helping eliminate the gender gap that currently exists in STEM. 

Eunice Omojola is a young changemaker from Nigeria addressing the digital literacy gap in unserved and underserved communities. As a young person from an underserved community, she ensures that she continues to create learning opportunities for young people from underserved communities to become digital literates, as she did not have the opportunity to learn digital skills while in secondary school. Eunice is bridging the gap between information, resources, skills, and guidance for young people who need help navigating the digital world and ensuring that no young person struggles with finding resources, a support structure, and access to digital opportunities.   

Eunice offers training on 21st-century digital skills via online workshops, mentorship sessions, in-house activities, and physical outreaches. Her goal is to not only provide technical skills training but also to help young people understand how they can use their interests to create meaningful change. To ensure no one is left behind, she holds physical classes in hubs and schools, inviting both students and out-of-school children.  

Precious Damian is a young changemaker from Nigeria who is passionate about championing young people and equipping them with the relevant skills to be exceptional leaders. As a young person who grew up hearing that young people are future leaders, he realized that young people are often without the requisite support structures to nurture their capacity for action and ownership of their desired futures. 

Using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a guiding framework, Precious is inspiring young individuals to become proactive agents of change, fostering a generation that actively shapes the world they wish to inhabit. He has designed a comprehensive strategy aimed at fostering engagement and education among youth focused on change-making, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and social impact planning. This is done through the establishment of clubs, seminars, and meetups, that provide platforms for young minds to convene, exchange ideas, and develop essential leadership and social skills.