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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ekene Ibekwe has four years of experience in the non-profit sector. He completed a Non-profit Leadership and Management program and earned a Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Technology from Imo State University in Nigeria. While working as a Team Head at Best Nurture Academy in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, he led the team to provide quality education for over 350 children in rural communities at little or no cost. He inspired his team to develop learning curricula and community engagement strategies that encouraged young people to seek education and stay away from the vices that consumed the community. Ekene has collaborated with non-profits to provide educational services to the underprivileged children in neglected rural communities. This was to make education accessible to rural community children and give them hope for a better and brighter tomorrow. Ekene promotes moral and literacy awareness through his programs. As a peer health educator, Ekene has trained teenagers on HIV/AIDS and adolescent reproductive health. He has empowered young people through peer education programs to become peer educators, thereby multiplying the effect of knowledge transferred. Through these experiences, Ekene has developed strong project management, curriculum development, stakeholder and community engagement, communication, and leadership development skills.

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.

Gregory Asiegbu has five years of experience as a trainer and consultant. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Federal University of Technology Owerri in Nigeria, and a Master’s degree in Oil and Gas Management from South American University in Delaware through distant learning. While working as a Management Researcher with Lagos Business School, he helped conduct research that provided strategic insight for entrepreneurs’ in Nigeria’s business environment. These insights include adopting digital technology, an efficient inventory management system, and operational improvement. He is enthusiastic about the promise of digital platforms in accelerating Africa’s industrialization. He has co-authored a book on Africa’s platforms and the evolving sharing economy. Previously, Gregory worked as a Project Coordinator and a founding member of a non-profit aimed at bridging the skill gap amongst African youth. Gregory has volunteered as a Project Coordinator on an SDG’s Advocacy Project in Nigeria, where he organized a medical outreach, skills, and capacity-building program for Internally Displaced Persons. Through these experiences, he developed vital research, analytical, project coordination, and implementation skills. He is an excellent communicator, leader, team member, and able to study trends and proffer solutions. Gregory enjoys focusing on the topics of human capital development, entrepreneurship, and emerging technology.