Owonikoko named as finalist in 2021 UK Study Global Social Impact Award

Olusola Owonikoko has been named as one of the seven global finalists in the 2021 UK Study Global Impact Award.

The UK Study Award is hosted annually by the British Council to recognise UK university alumni who have made an exceptional contribution and commitment to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others.

The award is in three categories, namely: Professional Achievement, Entrepreneurship, and Social Impact Awards. For
the Social Impact Award category, a finalist emerged from each region, and Olusola Owonikoko emerged as the finalist for the Sub-Saharan African region.

Olusola received the IDS Graduate Scholarship to study for a Masters’s degree in Globalisation, Business, and Development from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom, from 2017 to 2018.

He has been recognized for his work and impact at Project Enable Africa; an organisation that equips persons with disabilities with ICT skills and connects them with job opportunities in Nigeria.

Olusola’s time in the UK gave him the theoretical knowledge and practical skills he needed.

In 2018, he secured a $250,000 grant from the Google Impact Challenge to set up Nigeria’s first disability-friendly digital hub. He has since raised several other funds to achieve the mission of his organisation.

The other 6 finalists in the Uk Study Global Social Impact Award category are: Raquel Espinosa – a filmmaker from Mexico, Dr Orna Rosenfeld – an advisor to the World Bank on Housing policies and investment from France, Fadi Zaghmout – a best-selling author
from the United Arab Emirates and North Africa region, Dev Aditya – Managing Director of Otermans Institute from India, Ian Yee – an investigative journalist from Malaysia, and Mustafa Ozer – director at Imece Social Innovation platform from Turkey.

There are also 7 finalists in each of the other two UK Study award categories. All the finalists are UK university alumni with outstanding success stories, representing 27 UK universities and 16 countries. Read about their inspirational stories and how they are using their experience of studying at a UK university to make an impact on their communities, industries, and countries, here.

Three global winners from each category will be selected for their outstanding achievements as professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders in September 2021.