Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — As part of its commitment to support and empower African social innovators and entrepreneurs, Sahara Group Foundation, the corporate social sustainability vehicle for leading energy and infrastructure conglomerate, Sahara Group, in partnership with LEAP Africa, a youth-focused leadership development nonprofit organization and Impact Amplifier, a South African-based advisory firm, has announced twenty social innovators from across Africa to be part of its 2023 Sahara Impact Fund, SIF, Fellowship programme.
With a focus on increasing access to energy and promoting sustainable environments, the Sahara Impact Fund program attracted over three hundred applications from nineteen African countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Burundi, Zambia, Malawi, and Uganda.
The SIF Fellowship program which was launched in 2020 aims to empower visionary African changemakers with the knowledge and resources required to expand their social enterprises and help address the environmental and social challenges affecting our society.
Speaking at the induction ceremony of the new Fellows, Ejiro Gray, Director, Sahara Group Foundation stated: We are thrilled to kick off the third Cohort of our Sahara Impact Fund Fellowship programme with this new set of inspiring social entrepreneurs and innovators who are committed to accelerating Africa’s development with their bold and innovative ideas and entrepreneurial spirit.
In her congratulatory message to the twenty inducted Fellows, Ejiro Gray commended the Fellows for choosing to create business models that support the growth of our society. She asked them to take advantage of the Fellowship courses, workshops, mentorship, peer support, and networking opportunities, to build themselves and their social enterprises, to deliver widespread sustainable impact.
This year’s SIF Fellows from Nigeria include Stanley Anigbogu, Oluwaseyi Moejoh, Kehinde Fashola, Emmanuella Azegba, Muideen Adegoke, Chidozie Igweilo, Joshua Attat, Osato El- Osemwingie, and Paul Nnaluo.
Others include Patience Alifo(Ghana), Philipo kitungano(Tanzania), Erick Mbeva(Kenya), Joyce Rugano(Kenya), Jolis Nduwimana(Burundi), Kachigo Zulu(Zambia), Andrew Mpashi(Zambia), Timothy Munthali(Malawi), Ainomugisha Shifira(Uganda), Tukwatanise Bonnita(Uganda) and Muofhe Ratshikombo(South Africa).
In her remarks to the newly inducted Fellows, the Executive Director, of LEAP Africa, Kehinde Ayeni, stated that the most promising leaders are those who dare to challenge the status quo and envision a brighter future for the African continent.
She congratulated the Fellows for coming out successfully following a competitive application process and challenged them to leverage the Fellowship towards shaping Africa’s future.
Also addressing the Fellows at the induction ceremony was Nnamdi Ehirim, Project Associate, Impact Amplifiers. He congratulated the new Fellows and urged them to immerse themselves in the Fellowship, as it possesses the potential to transform their mindsets positively and equip them with the proven methodologies required to help strengthen their business models.
The SIF fellowship programme exposes Fellows to capacity-building and investment readiness modules that support business expansion and allows them to create a sustainable impact in society.
The programme is also set up to reward outstanding Fellows at the end of the Fellowship with seed funding of $5000. This financial investment was created to support social innovators with the resources they require to scale their business model.
Sahara Group Foundation is fully committed to building sustainable societies and through strategic interventions and programmes, is helping to impact lives and livelihoods across borders.
Individuals who want to learn more about the SIF Fellowship programme should visit www.saharagroupfoundation.org for more information.
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