Foundation transforming youth entrepreneurs for greater impact

Ashoka, an international fellowship with a wide network of social entrepreneurs, is transforming youth entrepreneurs for greater impact in their various societies.
The need for youth empowerment through entrepreneurship was the high point of bringing youth together under the auspices of Ashoka innovators at a recent meeting which took place at Best Western Hotel, Ikeja.
Ashoka’s core work is identifying and investing in leading social entrepreneurs with new ideas for social change as well as providing them with access to a global network of social entrepreneurs thereby creating an ever increasing synergy for local action and global change.
It was an event that brought together Ebunola Anozie, founder of care organization public enlightenment (C.O.P.E), AfricanFarmer Mogaji, Chief executive of X-ray farms consulting, Lucy Kanu, Executive director of Idea Builders Initiative, Deotun Ogwo, Theresa Michael among others.
“We are working directly with youth serving organisation giving them the skills to go back and impact on the young people under them,” according to Josephine Nzerem, Director, Ashoka Anglophone West Africa.
Josephine adds that Ashoka vision is to make everyone a change maker and to make everyone a change maker the foundation needs to work with institutions, leaders and people who are engaging on a daily basis with young people so that the skills will be impacted on them to also impact the young people they work with.
Ashoka Anglophone West Africa did the induction of two entrepreneurs in education and human resource.
Detoun Ogwo one of the new inductees is positioning young people to gain skills that employers want and also connecting them to resource. She helps to build entrepreneurial skills in young people who want to own businesses and become selves employed.
Detoun had this to say “I really appreciate what Ashoka has done over the last seven years and I also have got two other partners help to achieve this. Given the disconnect in various system in Nigeria, how do we ensure that when people pass through that system in the way that we do that they also have a compass.”
Theresa Michael the second inductee at the event is the founder of Model mission assistance in Africa (Momi Africa). She organizes young people into cohorts around a particular vocation that is tailoring the training to their interests and geographical context.
“Young people even if they have acquired all the skills both academically and non-academically still have no direction, they still flood the streets, and people keep saying give opportunity to the youth, who will give the opportunity? They need to create the opportunities for themselves,” Theresa said.