Nigerian energy innovator wins Commonwealth Youth Award

Stanley Anigbogu (left) receiving the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year award from the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland at the annual Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work held in Marlborough House, London, yesterday.

STANLEY Chidubem Anigbogu from Nigeria clinched the overall title of 2025 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year at the annual Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work held in London yesterday.

Ministers, senior government officials, youth leaders, and other stakeholders attended the event to celebrate the achievements of young people across the Commonwealth.

Stanley, founder and CEO of LightEd, was recognised for transforming waste into solar innovations that provide clean energy to over 10,000 refugees in Africa.

His work draws from his childhood experiences with energy poverty. Determined to create change and promote sustainability as well as climate resilience, he founded LightEd in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic. With a small team of like-minded young people, he has trained 6,000 students and recycled over 20,000 kilograms of waste.

Originally from Anambra State, Stanley received the award from the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, at the event in Marlborough House. She thanked Stanley for his creative and impactful solutions to multiple challenges.

It was a double victory for Anigbogu, who also received the top regional award for Africa, earning him a total prize of £5,000. Accepting the award, he said: “It is an honour to receive this recognition with an inspiring group of 20 young change makers dedicated to launching innovative solutions that drive transformative change for millions of people across the world.

I can’t wait to continue this journey with support of the Commonwealth and its remarkable network of partners.”

The awards empower young change makers aged 15–29 by scaling local innovations to global impact, advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through education, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and inclusivity.