Scholars

Abraham Atteh has over five years’ experience in Management Consulting, Digital Process Transformation, Public Sector Reforms and Project Management. Abraham earned a Bachelors of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Ilorin in Nigeria. He is passionate about raising ethical leaders to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and development in rural and urban communities. Currently, Abraham plays a key role in helping the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) to leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence tools to drive inclusive policy and revenue generation. In October, 2016. Abraham launched a social enterprise initiative ‘Rural-Urban Business Support Scheme (RUBSS) in a bid to champion a model to address the high percentage of small businesses failures in Nigeria, enlightening young entrepreneurs about the conceptual skills needed to make informed decisions necessary to sustain and grow in a world where consumers needs are changing at a stunning pace. Abraham chose this work because it aligns with his interest, skills, experiences, and vision to nurture, empower, and supply Nigeria with 100,000 SMEs who are prepared to compete favourably in the 4th industrial revolution and operate profitably by 2030. Abraham Atteh has over five years’ experience in Management Consulting, Digital Process Transformation, Public Sector Reforms and Project Management. Abraham earned a Bachelors of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Ilorin in Nigeria. He is passionate about raising ethical leaders to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and development in rural and urban communities. Currently, Abraham plays a key role in helping the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) to leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence tools to drive inclusive policy and revenue generation. In October 2016. Abraham launched a social enterprise initiative ‘Rural-Urban Business Support Scheme (RUBSS) in a bid to champion a model to address the high percentage of small businesses failures in Nigeria, enlightening young entrepreneurs about the conceptual skills needed to make informed decisions necessary to sustain and grow in a world where consumers needs are changing at a stunning pace. Abraham chose this work because it aligns with his interest, skills, experiences, and vision to nurture, empower, and supply Nigeria with 100,000 SMEs who are prepared to compete favourably in the 4th industrial revolution and operate profitably by 2030.

Current Organization: Senior Consultant at Carter Consulting

Ako Eyo Oku is a young leader with extensive experience in broadcast media and public service. Ako has worked for the Nigerian Television Authority for nine years, where she has served three different regions and over 200 Nigerian communities with enlightening, educational, and entertaining TV programs. Ako is committed to community development and advocacy for social change. She has been an active leader in several organizations, including the Child Rights Club, Rotaract Club, MDGs/SDGs Mass Awareness Group, Strategy and Innovation for Development Initiative, and the Young African Leadership Initiative. She founded the Global Learning Community Program, a community of practice that encourages worldwide learning at the local level via MOOCs and GLAMs. In 2019, Ako participated in the US government-sponsored Mandela Washington Fellowship, where she received training on Leadership in Public Management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ako is a Commonwealth+ Open Source Leader, a World Pulse Ambassador, and an African Changemaker. Ako belongs to Chatham House, TED, Creative Commons, and Wikimedia communities.

Current Organization: Senior Broadcast Officer at Nigerian Television Authority

Amina Abdulazeez is an International Development Researcher and Program Manager with over six years’ experience cutting across the public, private, and non-governmental sectors. Amina is skilled in the areas of communications for development, project implementation, and research. Amina holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Political Science from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto in Nigeria. While working as Researcher with Pan African Development Education & Advocacy Programme (PADEAP)/UK Open University, she helped conduct research at the intersection of gender, peace and conflict, and education. Her research was an exploratory study as it utilized participatory and arts methodologies to learn from community-based peace practices. As an Assessor with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), she led an assessment team to different northern states in Nigeria in order to assess vaccines and immunization supply chain in the states. Under the MacArthur Foundation funded Democracy Stability and Media Accountability project, she initiated an online campaign against hate speech in Nigeria. Amina has volunteered with several groups to teach girls photography and website design, including during the International Photography Festival and World Skills Day funded by UNESCO. She also volunteered as Peer Educator and Facilitator for organizations including British Council, Management Sciences for Health, and Moses Lake Medical Team.

Current Organization: Researcher Assistant at Pan African Development Education & Advocacy Programme

Angela Umoru has three years of experience in the nonprofit and media sectors. Angela earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Mass Communication from Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria. She is a 2020 World Literacy Foundation Ambassador and has utilized the opportunity to maximize and strengthen her fundraising, leadership, and advocacy skills. As a literacy advocate, she raised awareness on how illiteracy affects daily life by curating and sharing 112 “literacy stories” on social media. Previously, she worked as a Media and Communications Officer at Skills Outside School Foundation (SOSF), focusing on publicity for the Foundation’s work in life skill education for disadvantaged youth while securing relevant partnerships through digital media and production of media materials. In the time she worked with SOSF, she raised the organization’s profile by increasing social media followership by over 80% and spear-headed partnership discussions with various organizations. Currently, she is the Chief Operating Officer at Jela’s Development Initiatives (JDI), where she leads the teams in providing access to water, mental healthcare, and blood donors and promoting youth empowerment through volunteering. Through these experiences, she developed strong advocacy and collaboration skills. Angela is most interested in good governance and improving inclusion in education and mental health advocacy.

Current Organization: Chief Operating Officer at Jela’s Development Initiatives

Chibuonu Obiageli Ezennabike is a public health professional with nine years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Chibuonu earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Microbiology from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Uli in the Anambra State of Nigeria. While working as the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer with Caritas Nigeria on the 4GATES Project, a CDC-funded HIV/AIDS program, she helped improve the PMTCT program monitoring and evaluation by designing reporting tools, building capacity of facility staff, and ensuring data quality in Eastern Nigeria. She also championed the monitoring and evaluation activities of the Pediatric and Adolescent Program and FLAGSHIP Program in Delta State and ensured consistent availability of data for tracking project progress. Previously, Chibuonu worked with a community-based organization to plan and implement community outreach events and a health fair and to promote health education. In this role, she was also responsible for research and monitoring and evaluation of Nigeria’s Epilepsy Care Advancement Program. Chibuonu volunteered as a data entry clerk for Realizing Interdisciplinary System of Excellence Global Health Initiative U.S, (RISE GHI) in Nigeria. Chibuonu enjoys focusing on adolescence, gender, and maternal and child health and has a strong passion for research. She is very optimistic that efficient and effective use of data in research and public health interventions will ensure sustainability and improvement of health systems in Africa.

Current Organization: Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at Caritas Nigeria

Eyitayo Alimi is an IT professional with seven years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Eyitayo is a graduate of Computer Engineering from the Federal Polytechnic Offa in Nigeria. While working as the Head of Information Technology at a Nigerian public relations organization, she founded the digital media sister company and used technology to improve work processes and client projects. As a teenager, she volunteered with the nonprofit Stepwise Organization to advocate for reproductive health among teenagers and youth. Combining her experience as a Software Engineer and her passion for nonprofit advocacy, she founded and currently manages African Women in Technology and Business (awitb.org), a nonprofit that empowers women with technology and business skills. She currently leads the Cyber Threat Research Team at her company, NectarHub Software Company, where she provides incident response support and training for clients. In 2018, she won the Google Women Techmakers’ Scholars Award in recognition of her academic excellence and exceptional community advocacy in the STEM field. In 2019, she won the prestigious Techwomen Emerging Leaders Award in San Francisco, California. With several cybersecurity certifications from Cisco and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, she studies to stay updated on the latest cyber threats. When she’s not hunting cyber threats, she hunts mushrooms, hikes, knits, or makes dresses.

Nzube Okonkwo is a social entrepreneur with over six years of experience in the youth development sector. Nzube founded Evolve Incubator Africa, an organization that leverages technology, peer-to-peer learning, and coaching to support and promote economically disadvantaged talent and business leaders. He serves as a Youth Development Consultant for several NGOs and a coach for two State Government-led youth empowerment programs in Nigeria. He holds a Business Development Certification from the Enterprise Development Centre at Pan Atlantic University and a Nonprofit Leadership Management Certification from the Lagos Business School. Nzube is a Tony Elumelu Fellow and received $10,000 to start his social enterprise. He is also a 2018 Young African Leadership Initiative Fellow, a Tosin Anibaba Memorial Fund Top 50 Nigerian Entrepreneurs, and a Youth Delegate to the African SDGs. Nzube recently led his organization to rank in the ACT Foundation’s 2020 list of Top 10 Change Making Organizations in Africa. He has helped budding entrepreneurs raise over $200,000 in seed funding and wrote “Entrepreneur’s Guide for Starters and Startups,” a book that teaches budding entrepreneurs how to kickstart a business.

Current Organization: Founder/Program Lead at Evolve Incubator Africa

Peace Opoggen is a graduate of Sociology and Anthropology who also holds a Master’s degree in Medical Sociology from the University of Benin, Nigeria. Peace is an innovative and passionate program officer with extensive knowledge and experience in evidence-based research. He is highly adept in international development, maternal health, reproductive health, orphans and vulnerable children management, and youth development with a proven record in coordinating, implementing, and monitoring community-based development interventions and youth centered projects. In addition, Peace possesses sound skills in quantitative and qualitative research, academic writing, reporting, data analysis, and administration. He has over five years of experience working with nonprofit and public health organizations. Currently, he serves as the Operations and Program Officer for Shepherd Care International Ministry in Eku, Nigeria, an organization geared towards improving the educational, health, and psycho-social well being of orphans, vulnerable children, widows, and the aged persons. Peace has also worked as an Assistant Program Officer for Research and Documentation at the Women’s Health and Action Research Center (WHARC), where he focused on evidence-based research related to maternal health, sexual reproductive health, advocacy, and service delivery. He has volunteered for several international and local organizations such as the World Safety Organization, World Largest Lesson (WLL), and Youthink organization. He is a Fellow of several youth-driven organizations, including Young African Leaders Initiative, Ashoka, Common Purpose, Kectil, and World Literacy Foundation. Peace is currently collaborating with humanitarian organizations to drive youth initiative at the community level through advocacy, skill acquisition training and capacity building, and peer-to-peer mentorship.

Current Organization: Operations & Program Manager at Shepherd Care International Ministries (SCIM)