Nigeria’s youth are at the heart of national development, driving innovation, entrepreneurship, and social transformation. With resilience and ingenuity, they address some of the most daunting challenges of unemployment, education, and health. Notable young leaders like Iyinoluwa Aboyeji,Bidemi Oke, Chioma Nwogu,Chijioke Dozie ,Prince Afeez Oladigbolu and several others have made impacts by spearheading fintech innovations, advancing social justice, and developing community-based initiatives. They power economic growth, technological advancement, and social cohesion. With their potential, Nigeria’s youth are shaping a brighter future and making significant contributions to the country’s development. Their efforts embody hope, resilience, and the rejuvenating power of youth in nation-building.
1. Iyinoluwa Aboyeji
Iyinoluwa Aboyeji is a Nigerian serial entrepreneur and innovator whose companies have had significant impacts on Nigeria’s technology ecosystem. Having co-founded Andela and Flutterwave, Aboyeji has focused on building platforms that enhance economic inclusion and access to financial services. His work at Andela was aimed at bridging the skills gap in technology by training African software developers and placing them into global technology markets, thereby creating jobs in underserved communities. Flutterwave, on the other hand, provides a payment infrastructure that enables startups and small businesses to conduct business activities seamlessly across Africa, empowering local entrepreneurs and fostering economic growth. Beyond his entrepreneurial pursuits, Aboyeji advocates for youth empowerment and digital literacy, emphasising the contribution that technology-driven solutions make to community development. His initiatives have a tendency to bridge education and financial inclusion gaps, allowing young Nigerians to contribute meaningfully to the digital economy and create a more equal society. His work emphasises the contribution technology can make in driving sustainable community development in Nigeria.
2. Chioma Nwogu
Chioma Nwogu is a young Nigerian social entrepreneur with expertise in education and youth empowerment. She founded a non-profit organization with the goal of providing quality education and vocational skills training to underprivileged children and youths in rural Nigeria. Nwogu’s organization operates programs that combine academic education with vocational training to equip youths with hands-on skills for financial independence in answer to inequalities in accessing quality education. Her projects often involve community-level engagement, in which she collaborates with local leaders and stakeholders to evolve sustainable models of education to address specific local agendas. Nwogu’s professional work also involves the advancement of girls’ education and gender equality, seeking to remove cultural barriers to women’s participation in education and economic activity. Her approach emphasizes capacity-building and community ownership to ensure that the local communities are directly involved in plotting their development agendas. She has, through her work, enhanced access to education for hundreds of children, as well as Nigeria’s social and economic growth at large.
3. Bidemi Oke
Bidemi Oke is a Nigerian entrepreneur and innovator who is known for his contribution to financial technology, as well as for his attempts at inclusive development. He established FlashChange, which is a fintech firm that specializes in digital assets and cross-border payment, to facilitate simple financial transactions across borders by making the process better for individuals and businesses. His contribution to devising accessible and streamlined payment solutions has made him one of the top voices in Nigeria’s growing fintech industry.
Oke’s business achievement has been acknowledged by his inclusion in SME100 Africa’s 25Under25 list, which profiles young and aspiring business leaders that are transforming Nigeria’s business terrain. His fintech leadership accords with an emphasis on the application of technology to propel financial inclusion and revolutionize traditional banking platforms.
Academically, Bidemi Oke holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Science from Obafemi Awolowo University and has undergone management training at the Lagos Business School and Straithmore Business School in Kenya.
Apart from his entrepreneurial activities, Oke has been committed to efforts at raising the access of marginalized segments of society in Nigeria to quality education, with a particular focus on the empowerment of girls and young women. His activity extends from advocating for inclusive policies and programs aimed at offering opportunity to the underprivileged, towards addressing the overall goals of gender equality and social inclusion in the country.
4. Chijioke Dozie
Chijioke Dozie is a Nigerian fintech entrepreneur and Paylater (now Carbon) co-founder, a digital lending platform working to enhance financial inclusion in Nigeria. His company provides access to credit for small businesses and individuals traditionally excluded from formal banking services, especially in rural areas and underserved urban areas. By leveraging technology and data analytics, Dozie’s company provides fast and affordable loans, thereby empowering small-business owners and enabling them to expand their businesses and improve their livelihoods. Beyond financial services, Dozie encourages innovative solutions to Nigeria’s economic issues by the summons for infusion of technology into community development. His operations reduce poverty by allowing access to capital and encouraging entrepreneurial activity. Chijioke Dozie’s businesses demonstrate how fintech can be leveraged as an enabler of economic empowerment, particularly where the availability of traditional bank access is absent, in reaching Nigeria’s sustainable development goals.
5. Prince Kolade Oladigbolu
Prince Kolade Oladigbolu, a seasoned businessman and benefactor, has been of immense support to community development in Oyo, Ogun, Osun, and Ondo states. His efforts have been centered around empowering schools and the local community for sustainable development and social integration.
Early education of Oladigbolu was at Asogo Primary School, Oyo, and St Mary RCM Primary School, and secondary school at the Islamic Comprehensive High School, Akinyele, Ibadan. Higher studies also took place at the Federal College of Fishery and Marine Technology, Victoria Island, Lagos, and maritime certification from the Regional Maritime University, Accra, Ghana, like CW, STCW, COC, and RM.
He hails from a distinguished lineage; he is the biological grandson of late Oba Abubakar Siyanbola Oladigbolu, who reigned as Alaafin of Oyo between 1911 and 1944. His great-grandfather, Oba Muhammad Lawal Akanbi Agogo-Ija, reigned on the Oyo throne between 1905 and 1911. The lineage of Oladigbolu includes Alaafin Adelu Agunloye and Alaafin Muhammad Soliu Atiba Atobatele, the initiator of the new capital, reflecting rich royal blood sourced from the history of Nigeria.
Oladigbolu changed from a marine career to focus on business activities in 2010. Oladigbolu is the proprietor of Royal Colony Homes, a real estate development company responsible for more than 150 housing units and more than 600 shopping centers in Lagos as of early 2025. His leadership skill also features roles such as chairman of Ocean Track Holding, CEO of Captain Black Heavy Duty and Auto Limited, and chairman of Afcom Global Media Limited, among many others.
The commitment of Oladigbolu toward society development has been demonstrated through diverse activities in empowering schools and southwestern Nigeria communities. Coordination with the Seyi Makinde government of Oyo State has yielded improved school infrastructure, educational materials, and youth empowerment initiatives. All these interventions have been huge contributions to regional development and peace.
His work gained him national recognition; Oladigbolu was nominated for Nigerian Humanitarian Awards and magazines award for service to community welfare, and he subsequently won it, acknowledging his dedication to advancing community development and societal resilience.
