Groups to support ten social innovators with $100,000

As part of efforts to drive economic growth in Nigeria, the International Youth Foundation (IYF) and LEAP Africa would support 10 Nigerian social innovators with a funding grant of $10,000 each through its Youth Enterprise Fund (YEF).

The Youth Enterprise Fund was made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, which seeks to empower young entrepreneurs by providing them with the necessary resources and financial backing to turn their ideas into reality.

A pitch event held recently constituted a qualifying stage for the Youth Enterprise Fund, which aims to reward 10 Nigerian social innovators with a grant of $10,000 each in funding with capacity building focused on the specific needs and requirements of each social enterprise, to deepen the impact of their work across Nigeria.

The IYF and LEAP Africa are renowned for their unwavering commitment to youth empowerment.

Present at the pitching event were 13 early stage young Nigerian social innovators who pitched their ingenious ideas in various sectors to industry leaders who served as judges.

During the pitch event, the Executive Director of LEAP Africa, Kehinde Ayeni, asked rhetorically: “Are you truly an innovator if you fail to disrupt the status quo?” The question challenged the audience to reflect on the core principles of innovation and its inherent connection to disruption.

She highlighted the importance of innovators being disruptors, stating: “Irrespective of how developed a nation is, there is the necessity for disruptors. We need disruptors to alleviate poverty in Nigeria as we cannot continue to rely on the government.”

Joining the event virtually, the Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East, International Youth Foundation, Ronnie Murungu, stated that for over two decades, IYF has been championing the importance of social entrepreneurship, saying that this focus birthed the collaboration with LEAP Africa 10 years ago.

Speaking on the partnership, he said: “We collaborated on the design of the Social Innovators Programme, since then, we have marveled at how LEAP Africa has not only sustained the programme but improved it.”

Addressing the innovators, he recognised the dynamic nature of social entrepreneurship, adding: “What you are doing is important, but we know it is not easy. It requires commitment, persistence, continuous creativity, aptitude to learn from mistakes and an effective supportive mechanism such as is being provided by LEAP Africa.”