Adisatu Iddrisu
Ghana
Public Services Management

Adisatu Iddrisu is a fertilizer analyst with a first degree in biochemistry and an Mphil in Nuclear and Environmental Protection. She works with the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture where she performs quality control analysis of fertilizers imported into Ghana.

Adisa is passionate about Africa’s development in a sustainable manner and believes prevention of pollution is indispensable in achieving this. It is in this light that she chose to further her education in environmental protection. She is a member of Greenshift Africa, an NGO that seeks to spur innovations in green technologies and deliver affordable food, water and energy to all.

Barbara Nkrumah Arthur
Ghana
Public Services Management

Barbara Nkrumah Arthur is the Programs Manager/Academic supports program assistant for the Girls Education Initiative of Ghana; which is passionate about Girls Education and support with planning and implementing of the GEIG leadership and mentoring program specifically recruiting and mentoring mentors for the beneficiaries in Greater Accra. She serves as a positive role model and mentor for the girls the organization have in their care.

Barbara joined the United Volunteers Ghana and also volunteered to stay and teach students in Bupe, in the Northern Region of Ghana. She also loves teaching and taught Junior High School students Mathematics and English Language for a year.

Benjamin Aboagye Danso
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Benjamin Aboagye Danso is a plant breeder/Bio technologist/farmer/Environmental consultant. Multipurpose Danso believes in empowering youth in agriculture, adding value to raw farm products and making agriculture easy through the use of modern environmentally-friendly technologies. This led the 25 year old master’s graduate to form the Agric Connection Company Ltd which aims at bridging the gap within the major stakeholders of Agriculture in Ghana. In 2012, Danso founded the Botany Society of University of Ghana while studying to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Plant Science. Serving as President for 2 consecutive years, he organized tree planting, cleanup and environmental awareness exercises on the university campus.

Stephen Selasi Yaw Asuo
Ghana
Civil Society Leadership

Stephen Selasi Asuo is a consultant on sustainable development. He is educating the youth on the SDGs and is leading efforts to implement initiatives to end poverty, reduce inequality and climate change. He has so far led the establishment of public institutions and worked on civic educational initiatives in Ghana.

Selasi is currently leading the SDGs Youth Action for the Ministry of Youth and Sports, targeting the youth, women and children in Ghana with UN and other institutions between 2015-2030. He holds public and private offices and has been a paramedic by profession for a decade in Ghana.

Bismark Gyamfi
Ghana
Public Services Management

Bismark Gyamfi, is a student leader (activist) and a Professional Geomatic Engineer (surveyor) and a member of the Ghana Institute of surveyors. He has the passion to serve the people of Africa by making himself available. He is the current national President of the Ghana union of Professional Students. Bismark is the executive director of club of Jesus Christ missions and founder of the Young Economic Leaders of Africa. He won the most outstanding local GUPS President Award by National students Awards as a result of his undoubted contributions made at the student front of Ghana.

Elorm John Amengor
Ghana
Public Services Management

Elorm John Amengor is a climate change activist and a trained forest resources technologist. He is currently volunteering with the Forest Services Division- Bibiani and again the Catechist of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Bibiani. Elorm is involved in community advocacy and livelihood empowerment activities through the Ghana Forest Investment Program. He privately runs a consortium by name Jamen Leadership Consult which is a youth focused organization with the objective of identifying young leadership abilities, nurturing and developing them into capable frontiers in national development. Again, the Consult is engaged in advocacy of tree growing and forest protection against Climate Change.

Emmanuel Kofi Ahlijah
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Emmanuel Kofi Ahlijah is an ardent humanitarian with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Studies from The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

He is currently working with Surfline Communications Limited (www.surflinegh.com) as a customer care consultant. He was one time a co-founder and vice president of I-Save Ernest Campaign where he supported a colleague with kidney failure by creating awareness and help raise funds to support payment of dialysis and possible kidney transplant.

Emmanuella Kwamee
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Emmanuella Kwamee is a Broadcast Journalist by training. She volunteers for Givers Care Foundation Ghana as the Communication Director where she leads in the development of the organization’s strategic communication and publicity plans of which over 2000 needy Ghanaian students have been beneficiaries in areas of educational support, comprehensive sexual health education and feast with orphanages.

As a journalist, she is driven by issues that affect the development of our society. She has worked with Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Accra in Television Production. Emmanuella is passionate about youth development and serves as a source of motivation to others.

Eric Gyasi
Ghana
Public Services Management

Eric Gyasi holds an MSc degree in Crop Protection and Plant Pathology. He works with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Sunyani Municipality as the Municipal Development Officer in charge of Extension; and has held that position since 2013.

As part of his duties, Eric is the Officer in charge of the Government Fertilizer Subsidy Program in the Municipality, he is also responsible for training Agric Extension Agents on new technologies and good agricultural practices, make sure that planned agricultural activities in the Municipal are implemented as scheduled and also educate farmers especially smaller holder farmers on good agricultural practices that will bring about higher productivity.

Ernestina Acquah
Ghana
Public Services Management

Ernestina Acquah is a Political scientist and sociologist by training; and a social worker (civil servant) by profession. She is very passionate about solving social problems and giving a hand to the vulnerable and disadvantaged in her community.

Ernestina has been a management committee member to advise and takes actions on disability fund in her district. She has also served as a Social Services Subcommittee member in her district that deliberated on social issues.

Eugene Amarfio
Ghana
Public Services Management

Eugene Amarfio is a Software Engineer with 10 years of experience in the area of analysis and development of software in general. He has worked with various technologies such as J2EE, .Net and various Database as Oracle and SQL Server. He gets excited learning new technologies and languages in addition to continuing his quest for application development.

Eugene has a high learning ability and possesses skills such as teamwork, leadership and good communication. He likes take responsibility for his actions, is dedicated and perseverant. He has great interpersonal and relationships skills. He is loyal to his principles, ethics and always giving the best of himself.

Felix Lanyoh Goodman
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Felix Lanyo, is a youth Leader and Activist, Peace Advocate, Agriculturist, Humanitarian and Professional Digital Advertiser. Lanyo is fulfilled when he see societies and communities impacted positively, built around sound and sustainable environment that brings comfort and satisfaction and seeks freedom for every human being. His past projects include Scientific research in Gene Repair to Combat Ebola, Malaria and HIV/AIDS in Africa which birthed World Scientific Conference 2015 in February and SDGs: BUILDING BLOCKS FOR PEACE 2016.

As President and CEO at Ghana Youth Parliament House, Felix, founded the youth body recognized by Parliament of Ghana in November 2010. In August 2014, Felix founded and is the Executive Director at Goodman Impact Network.

Forster Agbobadah
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Forster Agbobadah is a social entrepreneur by passion and an engineer by profession. He is a Catalyst for Change and has led various human capacity development initiatives like the Mobile Peer Mentoring project to impact over 2500 high school student across Ghana and volunteered on numerous community projects including, an award winning Techie Skills training.

Forster is currently starting an automotive business (Auto Plus Services) to provide a professional consultancy and repair services and jobs to clients in the automotive industry.

He believes the future of Africa is dependent on the collective efforts of its young people to tackle its problem by themselves.

Fred Cobbinah
Ghana
Public Services Management

Fred Cobbinah is a Ghanaian Social entrepreneur with a drive for social innovation and transformation in the field of education. Cobbinah is a Social Development Officer at the Kwahu South District Assembly and holds a degree in Accounting from the University of Professional Studies. His passion to make a positive impact in society brought about the street library project, climate change education, women empowerment programs and child labour issues with over 5000 beneficiaries fir these programs in different communities under Kwahu South District.

George Agyemang
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

George Agyemang is a level 400 Computer Science student of University of Ghana, Legon. He is a positive thinker and passionate about national issues. He believes that with dedication and enough commitment great things can be made.

George is enthusiastic about helping people especially children to bring out their full potential.

As the President of the Computer Science Students Association of the University of Ghana, he is focused on helping students make the best out of their study of computer science, which will go a long way to contribute to the advancement of IT in Ghana and Africa at large.

Gloria Agbele
Ghana
Public Services Management

Gloria Agbele a policy analyst by profession. She is passionate about giving a voice to the poor, marginalized and vulnerable in society through evidence-based advocacy and research papers which focuses on the Global South, specifically developing countries.

Gloria’s past projects include writing a research paper on the state of Ghanaian Youth in collaboration with "Youth Network for Human Right and Democracy YOU-NET" as well as serving as a research assistant on a Chronic Poverty project for the Center for Social Policy.

She recently graduated with Master’s degree in Social Policy form the University of Ghana. She is currently with the National Development Planning Commission of Ghana, under Development Planning Division.

Godson Charnor
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Godson Charnor is an IT professional and social entrepreneur. He is very passionate about youth and children development. Due to this passion, he in 2015 volunteered for a child development NGO called BTS as a project coordinator as well as Global Tolerance Organization (GTO) as Communication Director.

Godson is CEO of Eagle IT Solutions and Educational Consultancy Enterprise (EITSEC), Ghana; an IT based Enterprise. He launched his youth development project called Youth Entrepreneurship Project Ghana in 2015 where he organized a day training program for almost 150 youth within and outside Dodowa which brought in resource persons to train the participants for free in the month of December 2015.

Halimatu Sadia Sanusi
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Halimatu Sadia Sanusi is a young self-taught fashion designer with a bachelor’s in Communication Design. She believes the value chain of fashion design business can be used to bring real change in the lives of vulnerable girls in her community.

As a 2nd runner up for Miss Malaika Ghana 2012 she has led and mentored young vulnerable girls in her slum neighborhood of Alajo, Accra. She has built a small fashion design business with her talent and is very positive about doing more in the future.

Hannah Aba Wiredu
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Hannah Wiredu graduated from KNUST in 2006 with BSc in Materials Engineering and has been involved in general Engineering, Construction Supervision, Project Management and Coordination for the last 10 years. Her desire to take on additional responsibilities and leadership roles led her to enroll for an MBA in BEcons.

As a result of her hard-work and dedication, Hannah applied for and was admitted to the GhIE as full member in 2014. She became the COO for GHEC Ltd in August 2016. As part of the company’s social responsibilities to the community, she intends to set up scholarship fund in the future for young children who want to attain higher education or learn a skill.

Hasana Alhassan Ibrahim
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Hasana Alhassan Ibrahim is a passionate environmental and women’s right advocate. She initiated a community based waste management project in her community dubbed ‘Waste to Wealth Initiative’ to manage waste and its environmental consequences. She educates her community members on waste separation and recycling. She was also awarded the environmental youth activist of the year at the African Cleanup Conference in Lagos, Nigeria. As a women’s right advocate, she is a member of World Pulse women’s group and a featured story teller in the Times Magazine. She is also the Advocacy Director at Young African Women Connect.

Helina Andoh
Ghana
Civil Society Leadership

Helina Andoh is a student of the University of Professional Studies, Accra and currently in her third year pursuing Bsc.in Banking and Finance.

She has being helping her community, Agona Nkum a town in the Agona West district in the Central Region of Ghana by educating about 49 widows and assisting her district Cama group. Due to her volunteering attitude, she takes up leadership positions most of the time.

Irene Ockrah-Anyim
Ghana
Public Services Management

Irene Ockrah-Anyim is a personal grooming/ corporate trainer, counselor and entrepreneur. She trains individuals on how to groom themselves and the accepted international business practices. As a single parent and counselor, she has recently joined Confidence Motivation to counsel the youth on self-worth.

Irene in 2015, started a mini water depot with only 300 bags of sachet water; which she has turned over to her mum and works solely as a volunteer to help with quality but affordable water which has now been extended to another community; in addition to setting up a tailoring shop to enable her train the youth.

James Mckeown Amoah
Ghana
Civil Society Leadership

James Mckeown Amoah is a Registered Nurse, Health Educator and Promoter, Writer and Teacher. He holds a BSc Nursing degree from the University of Ghana. He is the founder and CEO of Perfect Life Health Services (www.perfectlifehs.jimdo.com); a health promotion organization that provides health education and medical mobile clinics to prisons, schools, churches and other groups. One of his projects saw 1,408 prison inmates and officers at Nsawam prison receive free medical care.

Amoah has for the past 7 years provided health services to people because he endorses the need to prevent a disease rather than cure it. He loves God and has genuine interest in people.

Jennifer Mensah
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Jennifer Mensah is a young passionate graduate, with a strong desire for creating positive change in her community through women and girl child empowerment. During her undergraduate studies in university, she saw the need to empower more women and girls to be self-reliant through education. This need led to the formation of North-Rising, a women and girls empowerment group with the sole aim of keeping as many girls as possible in school.

She is currently the team lead of the group and has reached out already to well over 300 girls in the northern part of Ghana.

Joseph Bae Owusu
Ghana
Public Services Management

Joseph Bae Owusu is a student at Ghana Law School. He is a writer and a social worker. In 2011 he worked as volunteer teacher with his church group at the Upper West Region. He is co- founder of a youth advocacy group called Honesty Youth Organization based in Sunyani.

His organization partnered with Vodafone Ghana Foundation in 2012 to organize a massive cleanup exercise in the upper west Region of Ghana.

Joseph is passionate about the rights of the minority in society. He aspires to be a voice for the voiceless in Society. His passion for studying law is to educate, protect and champion the rights of the minority.

Juana Akumoah Boateng
Ghana
Civil Society Leadership

Juana A. Boateng is a civic leader who is passionate about educating the youth in the area of public health and human rights while impacting positively in their lives. She is passionate about advocating for a sensible drug policy system that seeks to support problematic drug users through rehabilitation, public health, harm reduction, an alternative punitive measure such as communal activity instead of incarceration and imprisonment.

Juana is a columnist in the business and financial times and a country leader for students for sensible drug policy .Her past project is the open forum for schools on drug education.

Jude Attoh
Ghana
Civil Society Leadership

Jude Attoh is a youth Adviser for the Eagle Foundations, a youth empowerment project that seeks to create and promote harmony and peace among the next generation of positive Africa leaders. This initiative promotes true Africa culture, arts, peace among others. Am Jude is currently working on an initiative called next Greens, an initiative which has won him both technical and financial support from the One Africa project and Eagle foundation. This project promotes and encourages afforestation, proper disposal of waste, and discourages habits that cause global warming. So far, he has been able to form over 20 clubs across Ghana, and also provided them with the tools to enable them embark on tree planting projects, (www.theeaglefoundation.org)

Julius Peprah
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Julius Peprah studied Applied Biology and is currently a teacher. He has great interest in research, community empowerment and charity. He has worked with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) on the Teacher Community Assistant Initiative and the Guidance and Information for Improved Decisions in Education research projects to find innovative ways to alleviate poverty. Mr. Peprah was employed by the Ghana Education Service in 2010 and has been teaching since at Dadieso Seventh Day Adventist Basic School. His passion for charity has seen to the formation of Philosophy of Good People, a local non-governmental organization that gives relief to the underprivileged.

Klekleli Dzidzienyo
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Klekleli Dzidzienyo is a fashion designer who has dedicated herself to her brand, Ameyo Fashion House and is very passionate about helping to grow the industry in order for it to positively impact the lives of the people directly and indirectly involved in it.

Just recently signed on for the polytechnic attachment programme, she aims to help nature the next generation of fashion designers by offering them industry training and practices to better prepare them for the industry.

As one of the participants of the Ethical fashion initiative project, it is also her aim to push the ethical fashion agenda to sustain healthy practices.

Kwame Oliver Danquah
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Oliver Kwame Danquah is a Management Trainee at Morgan International Community School. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with a minor in Finance, and a further post-graduate degree in Law.

One of his main interests is working to bring a positive change within the African continent through effective supply chain management in all industries, especially agriculture.

Melody Asamoah-Frimpong
Ghana
Civil Society Leadership

Melody Asamoah-Frimpong is an altruistic professional with competencies, skills and unquestionable attitude in marketing financial services. Over the past 5 years, she has contributed immensely in charting a new path in the development of Rural Financial Services in rural Ghana through the establishment of Rural Banks, Credit Unions and Village Savings and loan schemes aimed at empowering marginalized but productive individuals in society to manage their current financial resources and future financial needs to acquire assets and reduce vulnerability. She holds MBA Marketing option and a qualified certificate to be licensed as an Authorized Dealing Officer of the Ghana Stock Exchange. Melody was part of the 2015 Women Mentorship Program in Canada.

Michael Fynn Hammond
Ghana
Public Services Management

Michael Fynn Hammond is an Administrator with the University of Mines and Technology. He is also an MBA candidate at the University of Cape Coast (UCC). Michael is committed to making a positive impact wherever he finds himself. He is also optimistic about how people can work together to always bring about a positive change in any kind of environment. He is always determined to help people overcome challenges by lending support and giving constructive advice.

Nancy N.T Nartey
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Nancy N.T Nartey is a first class graduate from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration. She is passionate about education and more narrowly girl child education. This can be attributed to the fact that she has grown to realize education is one thing that cannot be taken away when gained or acquired, the key to most problems we face in Africa and to success. Nancy is a strong girl child activist especially on the issue of teenage pregnancy. She is an active member of an NGO called Generational Thinkers, and has undertaken a lot of outreaches, notable among them being School Painting project in Madina and teaching of BECE students.

Nancy Nkrumah
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Nancy holds a bachelor’s degree in Management studies and is currently looking for management training opportunities to help develop new skills whiles improving the ones she already possess. She believes there is always room for self-development. She is result-oriented and fervent about making a positive impact on her community and nation as a whole.

Nancy’s strengths are adaptability, people and communication skills and the determination to accomplish set tasks. She is able to work both on her own initiative and as part of a team; as well as under pressure. She also believes in taking action rather than complaining.

Natalie Ansah
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Natalie Ansah is passionate about children & human resource development. She is a Business Development Manager with Africa Worldview Limited (an IT & Research firm) and has worked with her team to develop an offline educational platform (Smart Studykit Tele-School) to ensure that all students in Ghana have access to free & quality education. Each episode which is telecast once a week comprises of an animated Ghana Education Service (GES) & West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) lesson video. Natalie is part of the ‘Khristmas for Kids’ NGO that serves at least 130 orphans every Christmas through gift giving & games.

Osei Bonsu Aning
Ghana
Civil Society Leadership

Osei Bonsu Aning is a teacher by profession. He has also trained as a trainer/facilitator by USAID Partnership for Education to train School Management Committee Members in Mampong Municipality. He has also had training in Entrepreneurship and Leadership Skills.

Osei has the passion to affect people in remote communities positively and has also volunteered for (IDEG) in Ejura/Sekyeredumasi as 2010 Assembly Elections Observer, Judicial Secretary for University of Education, Winneba S.R.C 2012-2013. His past Projects include Ghana AIDS Commission/Agency for Health and Food Security’s Communication and Behavioral changes project in HIV and AIDS in Sekyere Central, Field Officer for Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition’s ADISS project on Perception and Experience of Corruption Survey (2016) and currently Research Assistant for SWEDEC-GHANA.

Oware Ama Frimpomaa
Ghana
Civil Society Leadership

Oware Ama Frimpomaa is a person with high learning ability and skills such as teamwork, leadership and good communication. She endeavors to give society the best of her by assuming responsibility, being dedicated and perseverant. She has sentimental affection for volunteerism, thus she strives to work hard, to achieve good and positive end results. Whether it is paper work, fieldwork, or internships, she labors as much as possible to live indelible marks everywhere she finds myself. She has ever volunteered to serve at the Ghana Judicial Service (Archivist), STL AMANDI FOUNDATION (mentor), Electoral commission Of Ghana, among others.

Patience Boobongah
Ghana
Civil Society Leadership

Patience is a civic leader by training and a fashion designer by profession. She is passionate about young people being entrepreneurs and seeing students excel in academics. This has led to her training 140 young women who have completed Senior High school by in several skills. Currently almost all of them have their own businesses.

Patience has a certificate in Public Speaking from CELBMD Africa and other two from YALI online courses.

Raymond Ebaamombu Taaku
Ghana
Civil Society Leadership

Raymond Taaku won the Patriots Ghana’s My Community My Dream (MCMD) project award in 2015 to start a local school in Kpemale, his own community where there was no school. He believes strongly that education is the surest way through which every child can realize their full potential. Therefore, he leads volunteers through the We Educate Initiative to run a literacy development project called Read for Life. The project reached up to 500 pupils in the northern region of Ghana in 2015. Raymond is currently the Editor-In-Chief at ugfile.com, a tertiary media portal and also blogs at startup-lens.com where he shares inspiring stories about innovative African startups.

Samuel Kweku Kumah
Ghana
Public Services Management

Samuel Kweku Kumah is a final year Geography and Resource Development student at the University of Ghana. He is passionate about human resource development and poverty eradication in rural areas across Ghana and West Africa. He, alongside a group of students have taken the initiative to make this vision a reality by starting a community development project in a small farming village of about 400 people in the Eastern region of Ghana called Onakwase. Samuel believes every community, whether remote or peri-urban, possesses the capability to develop itself into a self-reliant and prosperous society using the available resources. He is also a poet and a playwright.

Samuel Ogbe Nokolawe
Ghana
Public Services Management

Samuel Ogbe Nokolawe is an investigator by training and working with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in the Jirapa/ Lambussie districts of the Upper West Region of Ghana.

He is also a district director tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the two districts in respect of CHRAJ’s mandate. Over 200 cases comprising violations of fundamental human rights and freedom, administrative injustices and corruption have been investigated under his leadership and appropriately addressed over the last three (3) years. Samuel also works with Non-Governmental Organizations like Action Aid, World Vision, and Ghana Integrity Initiative on human rights and anti-corruption advocacy. He is a graduate of University of Ghana, Legon and studied Political Science.

Sarah Asiedu
Ghana
Civil Society Leadership

Sarah Asiedu is a social advocate by training and a teacher by profession. She works as a community aide to tackle some social issues like unpaid care work, human and health right issues. These issues sometimes she tackles via stage performances. She is passionate about work especially when it has to do with the young mind because she believes that when the right information is given to the young mind it does not only build his or her future but it goes a long way to move the nation forward and affecting the world gradually. She believes in teaching it right.

Seun Jones-Larbi
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Seun Jones-Larbi by profession is a teacher and graduated from Mount Mary College of Education, Somanya-Eastern Region, Ghana; awarded a Diploma in Basic Education (2012). He has served as a teacher in two villages since then. He is secretary for Enterprise alliance, an initiative that gives young people intensive training on how to gain financial intelligence and run successful businesses as students.

His business has two outfits one being agriculture and another being in manufacturing/mining. The rice Farm started in 2015, with 2 acres and is currently 4 acres, and still under expansion .The salt mine produces for the domestic market with hopes to meet industrial demands next year, 2017.

Timothy Aposiyine Nsoh
Ghana
Civil Society Leadership

Timothy Aposiyine Nsoh is a marketing professional. He is very passionate about youth development, empowerment and leadership in Bolgatanga and Upper East as a whole. He is also a teacher who wants youth development in Ghana.

In 2015, Nsoh formed the Bolga Talented Youth Group, which among others is to identify, train, develop and promote young talents in Bolgatanga Municipality. The group currently has over 20 young men and women of about 12 to 19 years of age.

His organization collaborated with another organization to organize career and personal development conference for Junior High schools.

Veronica Quansah
Ghana
Civil Society Leadership

Veronica D. Quansah is a service-focus social worker and program Coordinator cum co-founder of the Central Regional Child Aid Foundation (CRECAF). With a strong commitment to serving the needs of disadvantaged children including homeless children and special-needs children, her Organization has been providing support for at least 60 children every year for the past 5years. Beyond that she also volunteer at Africa2.0 (civil organization with 60,000 members) and also offer business insights to women with small-medium scale business and serve as a liaison between the women workers of Eden &Eve flower farm (a World Bank cum REDD+ gender-based project). She is a Sunday School Teacher and also work as an Operations Manager at a Luxury Concept store. She studied Finance, Securities trading and Child Care Ministry.

Emmanuella Puoriyella
Ghana
Business & Entrepreneurship

Emmanuella Puoriyella is my name, a student of university of cape coast, pursuing diploma in basic education. I am a voluntary community activist, who identifies problems within my community and taking the lead to solving them. As an activist, I have identified and solve problems like, enrolling school dropout back to school, community sensitization on family planning, breast cancer, antenatal care, unsafe abortion, hepatitis ‘B’, etc. Also, advocacy programs such as domestic violence, early marriage, child labour child hawking etc. I organized lots of communal labour in my community, as well as donating items to 2 orphanages and a hospital.

Kenneth Gyamerah
Ghana
Civil Society Leadership

Kenneth Gyamerah is a Teacher by profession and a Civic Educator by training. Kenneth is passionate about Education, Youth Empowerment and Gender Advocacy.

Since 2014,Kenneth has been involved in Anti Teenage Pregnancy Campaign, School Outreach and HIV/AIDs Awareness programs in senior and junior high schools in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. As the Ghana Ambassador to the Center of Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Business Management Development (CELBMD)-Africa, Kenneth has successfully trained 400 youth in Public Speaking, Business Management and Entrepreneurship. Kenneth is committed to transforming his community.

Amaka Nnachi
Nigeria
Business & Entrepreneurship

Nnachi Chiamaka is a fashion designer by training and a mass communicator by profession. She has a mission to raise young people who are mentally reinforced to create opportunity for economic prosperity. Her past projects include Unizik (Nnamdi Azikiwe University) Fashion Show and Awards organized to encourage and enlighten young talented designers in Anambra State. Chiamaka has trained young designers under the Nate and Cole Fashion House Abuja and worked as a graphics editor for UnizikComet Newspaper and Magazine Production Team and also Etrend-Mag-Tv. She is currently the CEO of Ahmaka Afrik and attained a BSc in Mass Communication in 2016.

Ayodeji Bello
Nigeria
Civil Society Leadership

Ayo Bello is a 22-year-old passionate girl’s right advocate committed to polishing potentials of vulnerable young girls. She is a final year student of Sociology and Anthropology at Obafemi Awolowo University Nigeria. She is a member of the girl Generation, UK and State coordinator for Osun, Nigeria. Miss Bello is a graduate of Guardian Media Campaign Academy, UK and a member of the African Women Mentoring Network. Ayo is the director and founder of Ladies Circle International-LCI: a non-profit organization that simply says Yes to Education and No to violence. Through her organization, she has been able to impact an average of 2,000 people indirectly in 2 years.

Caleb Adebayo
Nigeria
Civil Society Leadership

Caleb Adebayo is a lawyer, creative writer, performance poet and environmentalist. He is passionate about, leadership, good governance and environmental sustainability, which he believes starts with environmental responsibility. Caleb founded Earthplus, an environmental non-profit targeted at the grassroots in 2015 and has so far had an impact of over 2000 young people in various communities. Earthplus can be found at www.facebook.com/earthplusafrica.Caleb also facilitates trainings on leadership, life skills, communication and advocacy and has developed workable models for startups to grow. He will be speaking at TEDx Covenant University on environmental sustainability later this year.

Charity Isa Gwandzang
Nigeria
Business & Entrepreneurship

Charity Isa Gwandzang is an Agripreneur, an economist and a lecturer. She is passionate about women and girls empowerment through agribusiness. She is also a strong advocate of gender equality.

Charity’s past project includes empowering about 300 youths in agribusiness. She also trains and mentors youths on entrepreneurial skills and best practices there by reducing the level of poverty and unemployment in her community and country as a whole.

Chigozie Valentine Ikedimma
Nigeria
Civil Society Leadership

Chigozie Ikedimma is a human right defender, gender equality advocate, civic leader and litigation/ corporate commercial lawyer. He is a youth advocate and social justice crusader. Chigozie is an Alumni of Justice and Peace Netherland: A distinguished International NGO encouraging and honoring selfless Human Right Defenders.

Called to the Nigerian Bar in 2010, Chigozie is the Head of legal services (volunteers) to Advocate for Youth and Health Development; a Youth based Non-Governmental Organization in Nigeria. His pro-bono legal services to indigent Citizens have earned him awards. He is a proponent of youth’s involvement in leadership positions. He thinks that education is the key to solving unrest and terrorism.

Dorcas Baba Fada
Nigeria
Business & Entrepreneurship

Dorcas Baba Fada is recording artist. She is passionate about positive mental impact especially in children and youths. She inspires Orphans and Vulnerable Children and other young children in creative arts in Abuja, Nigeria in areas of music and other crafts.

Projects she has been involved in include theme song for iampurple.ng in 2015, Day of African Child Commemoration at Centre for Family health Initiative 2016, CFHI OVC Child empowerment program on going.

Dorcas had her debut album in 2004 and has recorded 4 other singles with an EP in-view (www.reverbnation.com/tabeethafada). The direction of Dorcas’ forte distinguishes her as an artist.

Eddy Uwoghiren
Nigeria
Civil Society Leadership

Eddy Uwoghiren is a medical student at the University of Benin, Nigeria. He is a certified peace advocate who organizes peace clubs and seminars in high schools in Nigeria.

He was team lead at Impact Labs Summer School organized by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA where he was trained on using technology to proffer solution to problems in health, agriculture and environmental sectors. As a freelance journalist, he investigates underreported issues in the health sector aimed at making healthcare a mainstream issue in Nigeria. Currently, Eddy coordinates undergraduate research and exchange programs at his medical school.

Elizabeth Wuraola Kolade
Nigeria
Business & Entrepreneurship

Elizabeth Kolade is a Cyber Security expert by profession. She obtained a first degree in Cyber Security from a federal University in Nigeria and is passionate about educating people on proper cyber security ethics.

She looks to build a cyber-generation that is security conscious. She volunteers with Abocoders, an NGO whose initiative is to provide secure and sustainable livelihoods for young women in Northern Nigeria using ICT training with an emphasis on software development as a means of empowerment.

Elizabeth is also a member of the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria.

Emmanuel Baba Aduku
Nigeria
Public Services Management

Emmanuel Baba Aduku is a Research Associate in the Center for Public Policy Alternatives (CPPA) Lagos, Nigeria. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree (B.Sc.) in Sociology from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (2010) and a Master’s degree (M.Sc.) in Sociology (Development) from the University of Ibadan (2014).

Emmanuel’s interests are in development, governance, political economy, and peace and conflict.

He is a 2016 Lagos Business School Young Talent recognized for his leadership potential. His current projects include the Ford Foundation 21st Century Challenges project in Nigeria and the International Development Research Center (IDRC) Growth and Empowerment Opportunities for Women (GROW) project in Nigeria and Ghana.

Halima Ilegogie
Nigeria
Business & Entrepreneurship

Halima Ilegogie, is an agri-preneur and the founder of Heritage Agro Integrated Ventures. She is an awardee of Presidential Initiative on Youth Empowerment in Agriculture Program (YEAP).

Halima is passionate about women and youth involvement in agriculture and has aggressively embarked on capacity building and input support to different categories of farmers to ensure food security. In 2012, she donated a Cassava processing plant to a community in Abuja, Nigeria to alleviate the sufferings of farmers who trek long distances to process cassava.

Halima is currently working to diversify from processing of cassava to processing of other crops especially perishables.

Japheth Gideon Nyinfawa
Nigeria
Public Services Management

Japheth Gideon-Nyinfawa is a Mining Engineer. He works presently as a reporter for Africa oil+Gas Report where he has gained favorable experiences in writing news articles and profound passion for public management.

Japheth believes that a society or business with a well-structured plan, good governance and integrity will stay forever firm and flourish. Since his return to Nigeria in 2015, he’s been writing projects for favorable ways to develop his local government by empowering the youths who aren’t properly educated, harness its mineral resources and agricultural pride to create jobs, social amenities and good living conditions for the people.

Joshua Idiong
Nigeria
Business & Entrepreneurship

Joshua Joseph is a graduate of Environmental Technology, and a Social Entrepreneur that is driven by his personal philosophy ‘Being Different and Making a Difference’.

He is the CEO of Josult Oil, an enterprise that has a vision of increasing the income of over 1000 palm fruit farmers (women) through a stress-free & high yielding processing technology and also helping them to access a larger market share.

Joshua is an Alumni of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme, Pioneer Award winner Selfless4Africa Emerging Leaders Award in Nigeria. He is a good team player, teachable, determined, inspiring and fun to be with.

Marietta Osetohanmhen Imadojiemu
Nigeria
Business & Entrepreneurship

Imadojiemu Osetohanmhen Marietta is a final year medical student determined to make a positive impact in the world, aid in curbing the scourge of preventable diseases, fight injustice to women and girls and invest in the younger generation.

As president of Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental students, she was able to help introduce the rapid diagnostic test kit for Malaria, re-imbibe the culture of sharing Mosquito nets, resulting to malaria prevention among over 70 rural women and children within the year. She has also done projects on Gender violence, educating 52 women. As an IIF-YIGAD volunteer, she has mentored 48 children.

Martins Ezra
Nigeria
Public Services Management

Ezra Martins holds a Bachelors of Technology degree in Land Surveying from the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, Nigeria. He is an advocate of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) project and is also a Graduate Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM). Ezra is passionate about the environment, and has carried out a study project developing a land information system to assist farmers in identifying the different soil types and their capabilities as regards crop growing in 2014.

He was also a survey assistant in the survey department of Bayelsa State Geographic Information System. He seeks challenging positions and/ or responsibilities, which offers prospects for career growth.

Oguns Damilola
Nigeria
Business & Entrepreneurship

Oguns Damilola is a seasoned website and application developer with a passion for improving life processes and solving societal problems by creating web based platforms. He has worked with Netstark Solutions, Learn Webs Africa and Audisys Global Limited.

In 2016, He joined smarthire.ng, a web based platform for freelancing and recruitment as Chief Technology Officer. As part of his responsibilities, he organized a job fair that provided on-the-spot employment to over 200 young people in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. His enthusiasm is what sets him apart as an achiever in the IT industry.

Ojuse Omotayo
Nigeria
Civil Society Leadership

Ojuse Omotayo is a trained Economist, IT expert and vibrant youth advocate with innovations for youth development in agriculture, education, IT and ethics. He is the founder of Roadmap to Success International (RTSI) and currently a volunteer for Great Inspirational Integrated and Allied Services in Ile-Ife, Nigeria as a Farm Manager working on his pilot agricultural project, YAW (Youth, Agriculture and Wealth) which engages the youth’s entrepreneurial skills in agriculture and maintain biodiversity.

His past projects include TEAM UP Series, Entrepreneurs Development Training (EDT) among others with over 100 youths trained on skills development, financial intelligence, entrepreneurship, innovations developments and creative thinking.

Oladeinde Oladapo Babatunde
Nigeria
Public Services Management

Oladeinde Oladapo Babatunde is an Obstetrician/gynecologist. He is passionate about saving the lives of African women and girls of the reproductive age group who suffer daily from complications of pregnancy, labor, delivery and preventable gynecological cancers like cervical cancer.

He has been at the forefront of the fight against vesicovaginal fistula (VVF), which is about the most abhorred and debilitating complication resulting from childbirth prevalent in Africa. He has organized several campaigns and programs in rural communities in South Eastern Nigeria towards sensitization on the prevention of VVF and the availability of free treatment at designated centers.

Oladeji Kehinde
Nigeria
Business & Entrepreneurship

Oladeji Kehinde is a final year student of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. She is studying Russian language. She also works as a fashion designer and is the CEO of an existing clothing line, Slitz Couture. She is passionate about language, culture and arts.

Being an entrepreneur, she always looks out for means to boost her entrepreneurial and vocational skill. This made her enroll at Nobel Afrik fashion school 2011 and the CBN-Entrepreneurship Development Centre, South West Nigeria, 2016. She is presently the Vice president of the Russian students club Ibadan, Nigeria. Here she gets to help the President oversee the affairs of Russian students in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Olalekan Adebayo Ogundare
Nigeria
Public Services Management

Olalekan Ogundare is a Medical Doctor at Katsina State; Orthopedic and Specialty Hospital. He received MBBS degree from Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto in Nigeria and has Masters of Public health in view.

He was the Chief medical director at the state orientation camp during his national service year where he led a team of health workers to provide health services to over 2000 corp members.

Olalekan is an innovative thinker who is fully committed to reducing the morbidity and mortality rates of diseases ravaging lives in sub-Saharan Africa notably HIV/AIDS. He is interested in ophthalmology and passionate about helping people with eye health especially children at risk of Trachoma.

Olamide Gbemi Akintaro
Nigeria
Civil Society Leadership

Olamide Gbemi AKINTARO is an Animal Scientist by training, having his Bachelors of Agriculture (B. Agric.) and Master’s Degree in Animal Sciences. He is passionate about empowering young people to take up agriculture as a viable vocation. He was the pioneer National Youth Leader of United Small and Medium Scale farmers Association of Nigeria where he encouraged youths to participate in agriculture.

Olamide is a recipient of the Central Bank of Nigeria-Venture Prize Award for young entrepreneurs in 2010. He also received the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Service during his National Youth Service in Niger State.

Oluwatimilehin Fabeku
Nigeria
Civil Society Leadership

Oluwatimilehin Emmanuel Fabeku is a graduate of Chemistry Education in 2011 and currently a vocational educator, who emphasizes vocational education in Nigerian’s schools and also trains the teeming youth various skills thereby informing them to be self-reliant and make meaningful life choices.

Oluwatimilehin is the founder of Erudite Concept Initiative, (ECI) an initiative founded in 2013, and has since trained 600 youths and sourced for about 2.4million in funds from local and state government, and also philanthropist for the program. By the virtue of his educational knowledge, he has imparted a lot of lives.

Omeh Cara Faith Nkiruka
Nigeria
Business & Entrepreneurship

Omeh Cara Faith Nkiruka is a certified Account Technician by the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria. She is enthusiastic about Art, Shipping management, positive change and entrepreneurship. She volunteers at Modupe Cole Memorial in Lagos, Nigeria motivating and planning of student’s goals/project. Her past project was producing and packaging an Igbodelicacy "ugba".

CaraFaith Started her Auditing and Accountancy career in an accounting firm in 2013 as an Audit trainee with ACA in-view, and moved on to becoming an Account Clerk in Jawura Environmental Services. She has also been part of many stage acts where she has taken lead roles as well.

Onaoluwa Abimbola
Nigeria
Business & Entrepreneurship

Onaoluwa Abimbola is a Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) by profession, passionate about civic advocacy and leadership. She advocates for equitable healthcare access, health systems strengthening and rural development. Her work with Health Access and Integrated Development Initiative (HAID Initiative) started in July 2013, on answering a United Nations Online Volunteering advert for bloggers; taking on additional roles afterwards.

Inducted as an MLS in 2012, Onaoluwa leverages on her professional expertise to coordinate/ provide free healthcare outreaches. As Programme Coordinator, HAID Initiative CHM- (http://www.haidng.org/centre-for-health-management/), she coordinated the 2015 Universal Health Coverage Day outreach, which served 326 villagers in Fadage community, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Ononuju Okwaraogoma Silver
Nigeria
Public Services Management

Ononuju Okwaraogoma Silver is a development enthusiast and a passionate volunteer who is committed to creating positive change through volunteering. He volunteers with Pro-Volunteers; a network of Professional and Passionate volunteers and is awaiting deployment with the African Union (AU) under the African Union Youth Volunteer Corp (AUYVC).

As an intern with CIVICUS; World Alliance for Citizen Participation he participated in the 28th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the 22nd session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). He is a trained mediator, graduate of International Law and Diplomacy and is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Peace and conflict studies.

Opetunde Adepoju
Nigeria
Civil Society Leadership

Opetunde Adepoju is a physiologist by training and an Education reformer by choice. She is passionate about making quality education accessible to children in marginalized communities across Nigeria.

As a Global Youth Ambassador at ‘A World at School’, She has been saddled with responsibilities to make the voices of the less privileged heard by the lawmakers in her country so every child can have access to quality education regardless of their social status. She hopes to create the future from the present by giving every child the right to be educated.

Patience Paul Kahu
Nigeria
Business & Entrepreneurship

Patience Kahu is an architect by profession and an entrepreneur who advocates and promotes youth development and self-growth through vocational training to build individual skills and reduce reliance on the Government for daily income. She organizes and participates in business seminars consisting mainly, teenagers and young adults ranging from 12 to 20 participants per session, where discussions on various business opportunities in Nigeria is analyzed and propose ways to bring them to live.

Patience has a Master’s degree in Architecture and has designed over 50 buildings and supervised construction of over 20 buildings in Kaduna, Nassarawa and Abuja, Nigeria.

Sadare Lawrence
Nigeria
Business & Entrepreneurship

Lawrence SADARE is a graduate of Computer Science. He is currently an MBA student at Roehampton University, London. He is the International Coordinator of The Young Achievers International, an outreach group of his church, The Dream Centre.

Lawrence is an Investment expert and a serial entrepreneur. He owns a Real Estate company and is also a player in the Oil and Gas sector in Nigeria. He is consumed with the desire to empower youths in the area of skill acquisition and capacity building, mentoring youths to be job creators instead of job seekers.

Stephen Olusanmi Akintayo
Nigeria
Public Services Management

Stephen Akintayo is the Founder/President of schorlarshipandgrant.com, an organization committed to helping young Africans connect with scholarship and funding opportunities around the world. He is passionate about the development of an effective educational system.

Akintayo holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Benin, Nigeria, a Master of Business Administration degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife and a Master of Science degree from the University of Ibadan. He is currently working towards his PhD. He has also attended special courses at the University of Malawi, Tubitak Research Centre, Istanbul Turkey and Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany.

Akintayo alongside his wife also co-founded Prisoners Rehabilitation and Reintegration Program.

Yinka Lawanson Lamboginny
Nigeria
Civil Society Leadership

Mr Yinka Lawanson Lamboginny is the Co-Founder and Director of Hapi Interactive Services under which he runs a music record label called Hapi Music in charge of all his musical activities. He is the originator of the "Lamboginny Say No to Crime" campaign, which he used to introduce music as a therapy in the Nigerian prison system and has helped free 32 prison inmates who had be imprisoned without trial. Yinka become the first musical artist to be appointed as Ambassador to the Nigerian prison service, the also first to be appointed as the Ambassador for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) where he organized a national campaign.

Erocknfor Germaine Ashu
Cameroon
Business & Entrepreneurship

Germaine Ashu is an Electrical Engineer by profession and an Entrepreneur in Solar projects. She is passionate about exploring Africa’s huge energy resources to foster the economic and social development of its people.

Selected in 2014, by the United States Department of State as one of five Emerging Leaders from Cameroon under the TECHWOMEN Program, Germaine was given an exquisite opportunity to work at Solarcity Corporation, one of the top solar companies in Silicon Valley.

In 2015, she designed a cost-effective model of a solar charging station for five villages in Cameroon and currently works with several villages on the replication of the model, tailoring it to their energy needs.

Etonde Eliot Nchang Ndeley
Cameroon
Civil Society Leadership

Etonde Eliot Nchang Ndeley is an administrator by profession. She has a heart to affect her community positively, encourage capacity building and development and has volunteered as a social worker in Reach out Cameroon (NGO) and Daughters of Destiny in the capacity of the Assistant Project Planner.

Her past projects include working with orphans and vulnerable children (MINAS-UNICEF) support program Ministry of Social Affairs (MINAS) single mothers. She started volunteering at Reach out Cameroon in 2009 in both the Orphan and vulnerable children department as well as the Gender department, where she learnt community development work and put in her efforts in identifying, sensitizing and mobilizing the needy in the community. Her passion and efforts nourished her desire to change her community.

Gabila Franklin Neba
Cameroon
Public Services Management

Gabila Franklin Neba is a trained Environmental Geoscientist, youth advocate, passionate ‘waterpreneur’ and founder of NEBACAM (www.nebacam.com); providing low-cost boreholes and improved sanitation to rural schools, hospitals and villages; and has engaged in the drilling of 8 boreholes across the Northwest Region of Cameroon since 2014.

Gabila also serves as the program coordinator of the Petroleum Institute at Saint Monica University. With extensive experiences within non-profit organizations, Mr Neba Head’s the Research Development department of with African Change Makers (CAN) (www.africanchangemakers.org), co-chair of World Merit Cameroon, World Climate Negotiation Simulation Facilitator.

Hilary Nyusemo Chin
Cameroon
Civil Society Leadership

Hilary Chin is a professional in sustainable tourism management. As a civic leader, he reaches out and strengthens the access for socially and culturally marginalized groups to education, arts, and culture as a gateway to personal development and social inclusion.

In line with this, he uses athletics as a tool to impart 21st century life skills to youths in marginalized communities in Cameroon. Hilary has volunteered as an inmate education facilitator of English Language at the Buea Central Prison. He looks forward to using athletics as a tool to infuse 21st century life skills in to the educational systems across West and Central Africa.

Javnyuy Joybert
Cameroon
Business & Entrepreneurship

Javnyuy Joybert is a Social Entrepreneur, Empowerment Coach, and Public Speaker. He is focused, question asker, answer seeker, problem solver and purposeful young African.

Javnyuy is the Founder/CEO, Senior Trainer and Principal consultant at The Center for Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Business Management Development (CELBMD) Africa (www.celbmdafrica.org).

He is dedicated to matters of Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship, transformational leadership, Organizational Leadership, Business Management/growth and reformation of young African minds. Hence, he has reached more than 8500+ Executives, Leaders, youths, job seekers in 17 African countries.

Tita Paula
Cameroon
Public Services Management

Tita Paula is a final year student of the Catholic Entrepreneurial University of Buea Cameroon. Paula studies Electrical engineering and is driven by the zeal for change, woman empowerment and sustainability.

Her determination to study engineering relates to her desire and previous studies to seek challenges of today’s competitive society. Meanwhile developing professional experience and leadership experience has been a leading edge focus for Paula, as she aims to further her studies the following year.

Lontum Edwin Nchadze
Cameroon
Public Services Management

Lontum Nchadze is a trained Economist and Professional Statistician committed to ensuring sustainable and inclusive growth in Cameroon and other African countries. Currently, he works for the Cameroon Ministry of Finance as a statistical analyst.

Here, he collects, manages an analyses data to provide stakeholders with information pertaining to the execution of the state budget.

This helps guide public finance management in the current fiscal year as well as support efforts to allocate resources and/or reform the public financial management regime. It also serves the public need for information and provide citizens with the tools needed to hold government accountable.

Luma Likanjo
Cameroon
Public Services Management

Luma Likanjo has over four years’ experience in community development, with a special interest in youth empowerment. Luma is the pioneer president of the Cameroon National Youth Council in Limbe III Sub-Division, where he focuses on youth empowerment, sustainable development and human rights.

In 2014, he empowered 15 youths through sustainable agriculture. Currently, he works for Limbe III Council as Chief of Service for Hygiene, Sanitation and Environment. Luma holds a B.Sc. in Geology with a Minor in Environmental Science and a Certificate in Development Studies. Upon completion of this program, he plans to return home and set up a Non-Governmental Organization with the primary objective of eradicating youth unemployment.

Metolo Foyet
Cameroon
Public Services Management

Metolo Foyet is an innovator and socio-impact investor. As Chief Visionary Officer of ThinkAfrik, she formalizes the organization’s strategic-planning processes. Her combined passion for Africa, multilingual skills, environmentalist visions, analyst and teaching experience have led her to planning and implementing community programs for underserved populations. Her past projects include the S-ACT (Sponsor A Child Today) and NG-BC (Bottle classrooms) initiatives.

The sport fanatic and strong supporter of the Kyoto Protocol and Agenda 21 is also a writer, painter, former blogger and founder of Left Handshake International, ThinkAfrik’s Charity.

She is also a Ghana International Model United Nations executive and a final year Politics & IR student at Lancaster University Ghana.

Ngega Vanessa Achu
Cameroon
Civil Society Leadership

Ngega Vanessa Achu is an International Aid/ Cooperation leader by education and a community development project manager by profession. She is interested in developing project strategies for communities and volunteers with Transparency International, Cameroon as an Associate project officer for a project on "Strengthening women’s capacity on access to land rights in Cameroon". Vanessa Initiated and Coordinates the Connecting Orphans; "From Rice to Light Project". This project reached out to 137 orphans at Misspa orphanage in Bamenda, Cameroon. It currently sponsors the university education of 3 orphans; supports the health needs of children living with HIV/AIDS at the Misspa Orphanage and recently sponsored a bone surgery for 1 of these children.

Nyuydze Elizabeth
Cameroon
Business & Entrepreneurship

Nyuydze Elizabeth is a Social Entrepreneur with three years’ experience in Business and Entrepreneurship. As the founder of LIZA TELEIOS KNITTIG CLOTH, she recycles wool and makes cloths for newborn babies, children and adults. She has employed 12 girls and women generating their own income and supporting their families, assisted 5 women to set up small knitting business, promote health needs of over 200 persons.

Upon completion of the YALI Regional Training, she plans to expand her enterprise internationally, support more girls and women gain entrepreneurial skills, give loans to start up their own knitting business to reduce gender based violence, unemployment and poverty.

Ouabo Emmanuel Romaric
Cameroon
Civil Society Leadership

Ouabo Emmanuel, is an environmentalist and Geometrician working directly on community issues in Cameroon. Civic leader by nature, He worked in East and South Cameroon with local communities, where he built capacities of more than 200 leaders of communities on protecting the Forest and to defend their rights to access natural resources.

In 2013, he contributed to win a grant to address the issue of climate change faced by 200 farmers in Bertoua. Since 2015, with the association for research, protection of environment and local development, he empowered 70 women at Ezezang and more than 200 children and teenagers in the Central Region.

Peter Nguafac Temate Fongeh
Cameroon
Civil Society Leadership

Peter Nguafac Temate Fongeh is a Sexual Reproductive Health Activists with strong commitment to advocating for the needs of young people, through promotion of laws and policies that ensures human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Founder and Executive Director of Vision in Action Cameroon; a community based Organization dedicated to empowering adolescents on sexual reproductive health through information and skills training to help make informed choices. Peter holds a BSc in Community and Public Health from Pan African Institute for Development West Africa and a Diploma in Community Health from MOI University Kenya.

Ruby Dzenko Chia
Cameroon
Public Services Management

Chia Ruby Dzenko is a Sociologist by training and an interviewer by profession. She is very passionate about health for all, youth empowerment and sustainable development. She has been working with the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services for the past 3years under the HIV/Free Southwest Project and the Family Planning/HIV Integration Project.

She believes her work with the Family Planning project has impacted the community; in that, HIV positive women who come to the Care and treatment clinics do not leave the clinic without being counseled on family planning and offered methods of their choice. Approximately 927 women of reproductive age are on family planning in our implementing sites.

Tah Kennette Konsum
Cameroon
Civil Society Leadership

TAH Konsum is a science teacher with over ten years of teaching experience and over five years of volunteering for community development through a Community Based Organization he co-founded called SOPISDEW Cameroon; doubling as pioneer Executive Coordinator. He developed a community education tool called Innovative Methodology Practice Applied for Community Teaching (IMPACT). He is very passionate about sustainable development and community empowerment through volunteering and participation. His mission is to lead communities and people to collaborate with national and international organizations, institutions, communities, and individuals in the process of poverty alleviation.

Tembi Mavis Yeluma
Cameroon
Civil Society Leadership

Tembi Mavis is a final year M.A student of History in the University of Buea. She is passionate about positive change, women empowerment through the education of girls and peace building.

Tembi has been actively involved in organizing seminars in a Non-Governmental Organization called Strategic Center for Peace and Leadership in the University of Buea with speakers from the United Nations, Commonwealth, African Union and others for the 2015/2016 academic year.

Therese Nicole Mbarga Essim
Cameroon
Public Services Management

Dr. Mrs. Therese Nicole Fouda Mbarga is a dynamic Medical Doctor with a mastery of public health (social action stream), currently working as a physician for the Ministry of Public Health in Cameroon.

Nicole has a keen interest for challenging activities with a social impact, empowering populations to take control over their own health through community outreach activities. She is passionate about supporting underprivileged individuals (e.g. refugees) and she has volunteered for health organizations including Doctors without Borders, The Michael and Mauritia Patcha Foundation.

Nicole is the Vice-President of the University of Buea Medical School Alumni Association (UBMSAA).

Alice Garmah Tollar
Liberia
Public Services Management

Alice G. Tollar is a natural Public leader but a Monitoring and Evolution Analyst by profession. She is passionate about positive change in her community, as it relates to promoting youth education and empowerment. She takes up initiatives to organize capacity building training that will enable youth to build their capacities for job opportunities.

In 2013, Alice developed and led 25 youth activities and implemented them. She held 50 youth group discussion and served as encourager and motivator. In 2005, she advocated for Scholarships for 25 female students who were enrolled and served as a spokesperson for the Female students.

Annette C. Watson Howard
Liberia
Public Services Management

Annette C. Watson-Howard is a Sr. Monitoring and Evaluation analyst by profession. She works with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning where she contributes immensely in carrying out Monitoring and Evaluation exercises on all projects and programs funded by both Government and Donor. Her pilot project includes the Private Sector Development Project, which is a bold step towards achieving the goal of job creation and wealth especially for women in the Agriculture sector. 29.73% loans were granted to female entrepreneurs and jobs have been created.

Annette has the passion to make positive change in the life of young women at the level of her community and Monitoring and Evaluation.

Christo Gorpudolo
Liberia
Civil Society Leadership

Christo Gorpudoloa is a human rights coordinator at the Independent National Commission on human rights in Liberia. Over the past year she has engaged people, especially the marginalized in society to improve their access to Justice. She is also involved in conducting awareness through workshops and civic engagement on rights and gender issues as well as fighting stigma, specifically those related to diseases in both urban and rural Liberia.

Christo is a member of the Liberian protection partner’s forum; where they engage civil society and other protection organizations, discuss violations and find a rights based approach in addressing these issues.

Joseph Y. Sahn
Liberia
Civil Society Leadership

Joseph Y. Sahn is a young emerging leader. He is a mentor who has been playing a key leadership role in his community and organizations he affiliates with.

In 2012, Joseph was among youths that mobilized the community to undertake the construction of a foot-path bridge that connected his community with a neighboring community. His work has mainly focused on peace building, WASH and volunteerism. He is a founding member of Liberia Youth for Peace and Development and serving as Secretary. He’s is an innovator. With just one year working for Match Maker Classified Liberia, he founded a real estate agency named Last Hope-Liberia.

Marvis T. Sheriff
Liberia
Civil Society Leadership

Marvis Trinity Sheriff is Gender and Teen Educator of 4-H Liberia. Her main duties are to establish and encourage Teen and Gender Education in schools that have 4-H Clubs, organize training programs, coach volunteers to meet up with the training plans and objectives, visit 4-H Clubs to train students in Teen and Gender Education during their 4-H Club meeting hours and report to the National Executive Director. She also services as a Sunday School Teacher for children in her church and her community.

Marvis’s long term goal is to see a world where boys and girls have equal opportunities.

Michael Doe Tipayson
Liberia
Public Services Management

Michael Doe Tipayson is an Administrator by profession. He has six years of experience working in his community (Samuel Kanyon Doe Community); concentrating on social entrepreneurship and peace building. He is skilled in intellectualism, mobilizing, and advocacy. In the last four months, he has embarked on a project to support Girls Education through formal, vocational, and technical training in his native community which has benefited about 150 persons.

Michael is a youth leader of his community as well as the Technical Consultant of a student group named Students against Destructive Actions and Decision-SADAD Liberia.

Prince Nanlee Johnson
Liberia
Civil Society Leadership

Prince Nanlee Johnson is a goal-oriented leader with a Master’s degree in Energy engineering.

He is determined in his efforts to promote access to clean energy in rural communities, capacity building, climate change and leadership.

Prince is the Founder/CEO of NANCELL Energy Tech (Retlinks); providing renewable energy solutions and working with females to improve Eco-stove production in Liberia.

He has been engaging with communities by training, installing of Renewable Energy technologies and working with energy partners to implement projects.

Johnson’s desire for clean environment through access to modern energy has served as a motivation for many young people and aspiring leaders.

Robert K Fagans Jr
Liberia
Civil Society Leadership

Robert K Fagans, Jr. is a pastor in training and a mentor of many Liberian youth within his community. For two years, he has been mentoring young boys and girls to become valuable assets to their society. 1/4 of those youths have been discouraged and perplexed about their lives. Constant counseling and interactions with their focused minded peers have given those youths hope to make their lives meaningful.

Robert has worked with youth leaders in his community to mobilize young boys and girls for community based projects such as: the paving of roads, cleaning of the community among others. He worked as voter’s registration clerk during the 2010 election.

Teddy Penneku Taylor
Liberia
Business & Entrepreneurship

Teddy Penneku Taylor is a Climate Change Activist by training. He has years of experience in youth and students advocacy and has volunteered for Amnesty International Liberia Group, Youth Crime Watch of Liberia and the Liberia National Students Union. He is also a final year student of the University of Liberia Studying Geology. He is a research consultant of Songhai Advisory, LLP; a bespoke business intelligent group specialized in Market Update Analyses and Due Diligence.

Teddy is also the Executive Director of Youth Climate Change Initiative-Liberia, the country’s first youth led NGO into climate change.

Aji Rohey Bah
Gambia
Civil Society Leadership

Aji Rohey Bah is a recent Law graduate of The Gambia Bar School. Miss Bah has a youth and Gender activist for almost a decade. She was involved in youth and Gender work throughout The Gambia. She was am an active member and served as a volunteer for the "Thing Young Women," a Non-Governmental Organization impacting change in young women through community incentives.

She actively took part in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation in The Gambia. Miss. Bah is passionate about human and youth rights and development which pushed her to be a member of The ECOWAS Youth Council, Ignite the Youth Africa as core organizations which can push my agenda for youths.

Fatoumata Komma
Gambia
Public Services Management

Fatoumata Komma works with the Ministry of Health as a Program Officer at the Non-Communicable Disease/Tobacco Control Unit since 2010. Her role is to raise awareness, plan, coordinate and implement all Non-Communicable Disease/ Tobacco control activities within the country. She focuses mostly on conducting community sensitizations and training of health care providers in the communities on the prevention and control of these diseases.

Fatoumata has trained 29 health workers in each health region across the country on the prevention and control of diabetes, hypertension, cancers and their associated risk factors. Her long term goal is to drastically reduce the prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases and their complications in The Gambia.

Lamin Jafuneh
Gambia
Business & Entrepreneurship

Lamin Jafuneh is a social entrepreneur and proprietor of Nesthet Clinical Service (NCS). He is a Registered Nurse Anesthetist and passionate about positively impacting people’s health. He has 9 years Registered Nurse and 2 years Anesthesia work experience with numerous leadership positions in both public and private health sectors.

He volunteered in four different surgical camps in the last 12 months. Lamin is determined to make healthcare accessible to remote communities in Africa through innovative solutions. His vision is to utilize ICT solutions in the delivery of his services and implement NCS Surgical Camp, Mobile Clinic and Micro-insurance Projects.

Madiba Sillah
Gambia
Civil Society Leadership

Madiba Sillah is a development practitioner by training and media and communication specialist by profession. He is passionate about youth development, climate justice and volunteers for Global Unification The Gambia in the areas of advocacy, and project management. His past projects include Coastal Care, WIFE and Summer Academy.

Awarded a grant for coastal replenishing project in 2013, Madiba through the project planted 25 thousand mangrove saplings in the three beneficiary communities and trained 120 communities’ members in environment management, and in 2012 coordinated a climate-smart agricultural project involving 300 women beneficiaries.

Salimatou Fatty
Gambia
Civil Society Leadership

Salimatou Fatty is a young Gambian leader. She is globally recognized as an Education and gender advocate, based in Gambia. She is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Salimatou Foundation for Education. Her foundation promote quality education and its currently running a campaign to ensure street children go to school and her foundation is sponsoring the education of some street children. She is an ambassador for several international organizations to The Gambia. Salimatou Fatty is a trained Peace Educator and is passionate about global development and has participated in many activities that are geared towards global development.

Yorro Cham
Gambia
Business & Entrepreneurship

Yorro Cham is a Public and Environmental Health Officer by training and profession. He is actively involved in advancing the state of public health in the country and currently serving as the Assistant Secretary General of GAPHO (Gambia Association of Public Health Officers), and the Acting Desk Officer of Fajikunda Major Health Center.

Having served in all three-settlement types in the country (rural, semi-urban, and urban), Yorro has garnered a lot of experience for a young man of his age. He is a shining light in the cadre of Public Health in the Gambia.

Faderr Johm
Gambia
Public Services Management

Mr. Faderr Johm is an urban planner by profession and life long civil servant. Faderr is passionate about urban climate action and waste management, with a strong focus on women empowerment and youth employment. He recently launched two policy guidance publications on climate change at Habitat III in Quito.

Faderr’s work at UN-Habitat supports the implementation of climate change mitigation and adaptation projects across Africa. His work with the Centre for Zero Waste and Development (legal registration forthcoming), supports awareness raising primarily through the ‘Kick the Bags Out’ initiative, with hopes of promoting green jobs in the waste management sector. Faderr’s motto is ‘turn challenges into opportunities.

Agatha Ada Levi
Sierra Leone
Civil Society Leadership

Agatha Ada Levi is a FEMINIST and a social issue researcher with vast interest and experience in advocacy and lobbying with special reference to children and women’s rights.

She is a Mass Communication graduate and has the desire to work with the poorest communities. She is also computer literate and has excellent skills in data collection and presentation.

Amabel Precious Lebby
Sierra Leone
Civil Society Leadership

Precious Amabel Lebby is a Gender activist and mentor for girls by training and a linguist and social researcher by profession. She holds a diploma in cultural studies and graduated in 2014 with a first class degree in linguistic and sociology; she is currently pursuing a masters in Gender studies.

Precious is involved in women’s training and advocacy, a social researcher on women and youth issues, she is passionate about young girls and the elderly. She is the founder and CEO of Jenama foundation an organization that renders support to youth for reduction of unemployment and support to old people who are most likely neglected.

Mohamed Safaieu Sall
Sierra Leone
Public Services Management

Mohamed S. Sall has over seven years’ experience in the fishery sector. In Particular, he monitors and evaluates donor-funded projects geared to improve the capacity of artisanal fishermen. He is currently head of the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit at the Ministry of Fisheries, and also the secretary general of a community-based organization that promotes group participation in social, cultural and educational activities.

Mohamed holds a bachelor’s degree in Statistics from University of Sierra Leone. His ultimate goal is to become a national policy adviser in order to use his drive and untiring commitment to bring about greater autonomy to the poor.

Ragnagnwenda M. Aristide Nacoulna
Burkina Faso
Public Services Management

Aristide Nacoulma is a motivated civic leader and a medical student (sixth year). He is passionate about enhancing population health, young child nutrition and gender equality in and across Burkina Faso. He is also a member of Center of Intervention and Research in Gender and Development (CRIGED) and participated in the implementation of the system of monitoring and evaluation of a project about "Sexual Violence and gender in schools of Burkina Faso".

After graduating, he plans to do his Master’s in Public Health to get more skills to help upgrading health level in Africa. His mission is to work with organizations such as USAID to eradicate tropical diseases like Ebola or Malaria from spreading.

Diogbo Bell Thierry
Ivory Coast
Business & Entrepreneurship

Diogbo Bell Thierry has computer network and system administration specialty training. He has acquired marketing experiences in sales and computer hardware installation.

However his passion is in organic farming. He got into contact with the people to better understand their organization and offer them a change in their way of farming to improve their performance. Diogbo then created small distributors for the sale of the productions.

Gnango Stephanie
Ivory Coast
Business & Entrepreneurship

Gnango Stephanie is a student in English studies who is passionate about arts and languages. She has been involved in volunteering activities in her university for 2 years and believes African societies can emerge thanks to unity, proper education and knowledge of their culture.

Stephanie created a jewelry brand called Maison Mokida in 2015. Its purpose is to sell handmade jewelry and gather people by organizing workshops about peace culture, African civilization and self-development. She knows what people wear remind them of how it has been given to them and believes Maison Mokida will help creating a strong community.