Nigeria’s Olusola Owonikoko slated for IE Africa’s innovator retreat in Spain

Global IE Africa Centre has invited Nigeria’s Olusola Owonikoko, to be among other global youth entrepreneurs for it’s inaugural Social Innovator’s​ Retreat at its campus in Segovia, Spain following his nomination by the Tony Elumelu Foundation.

The retreat is designed to create a unique knowledge generation and sharing of intellectual retreat for Africa’s most cutting edge social innovators who are looking to find new tools and partners with which to scale their work.

Reacting to his nomination by the Tony Elumelu Foundation for the 5-weeks retreat, Olusola expressed his appreciation and readiness to join other international young innovators in sharing intellectual knowledge.

According to him, it is always a great privilege to meet with youths across the globe, especially young entrepreneurs, adding that the drive and commitment to improving lives in communities has always been his motivation.

He expressed appreciation to the Tony Elumelu Foundation and the IE Africa Centre for promoting and providing continued guidance on entrepreneurship and self-employment for young people.
“For me, the 5-week program is more than an academic exercise, it is going to be a complete academic and professional experience that will broaden our horizons, connects the world and provides us with a personalized career path to help us achieve our goals,” he added.

Olusola who was nominated by the Tony Elumelu Foundation for his contributions to youth empowerment in Nigeria is the founder and Executive Director of Stanforte Edge Ltd/Gte.; a development organisation that provides corporate sustainability, impact evaluation & organisational development support services to clients across sectors.

His organisation’s flagship program, Project Enable Africa, which promotes social & digital inclusion across Africa, was a winner of the 2018 Google Impact Challenge Funds competition, Africa; and has produced two documentaries which have been screened to an audience of over 100,000 globally.
In the past 9 years, he has worked with various private, public & development sector organizations, to design & implement programs, research, & policies targeted at improving development outcomes for vulnerable populations and marginalized communities in Africa.

He has worked on projects funded by several international development organisations including AJWS, DFID, USAID, Global Funds for Children, Nike Foundation, King Baodoiun, Foreign Missions to Nigeria, World Bank, IFC, CDC, Sightsavers International; to promote effective and sustainable private sector-led development for underserved populations, with emphasis on Pan-Africanism, inclusion & innovation.

Olusola who holds a Bachelors’ degree from the University of Ilorin (2010); Certificate in Civic Leadership from Wagner College, New York (2015); and a Masters’ degree in Globalisation, Business and Development from the University of Sussex, Uk (2018), is also a Senior Consultant with Transatlantic Development Uk; providing environmental and social performance (ESG) support to projects and organisations across Africa.

Speaking on the program, Felicia Appenteng, Chair, IE Africa Centre, said the retreat has been structured to focus on solutions that will be published by IE at the conclusion of the program.
“At the conclusion of the first week, program participants will present their work to a panel of mentors, who will follow up with them for the next four weeks on a weekly basis,” she added.
IE University offers a technology-based learning ecosystem for leaders making a difference in the world through innovation, a global vision, an entrepreneurial mindset and a unique Humanities-based approach. IE University has a faculty composed of more than 500 academics who impart university degrees, master’s programs, doctorates and executive training to students from 131 countries.

On the other hand, the Tony Eleumelu Foundation promotes entrepreneurial development across Africa; and has been working since 2015 to support over 10,000 African youth with seed funding, training, structured multi-faceted support system for the establishment and growth of the next generation of Africa enterprises that will drive social and economic development for the continent.
Olusola Owonikoko is a 2016 fellow of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program. He is also a 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow.