LIST AND EXPLAIN AT LEAST 10 SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS – WHAT THEY DID AS SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

LIST AND EXPLAIN AT LEAST 10 SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS. WHAT THEY DID AS SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS
LIST AND EXPLAIN AT LEAST 10 SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS. WHAT THEY DID AS SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

LIST AND EXPLAIN AT LEAST 10 SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS – WHAT THEY DID AS SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

INTRODUCTION

Social enterprise may serve as a springboard for the attainment of national development in many countries, combatting social challenges through entrepreneurial activities (Olokundun et. al., 2018). In Nigeria, the history of social enterprise goes back to the late 1950s and, in certain forms, even earlier.

According to European Commission (2013) communities within the north of Nigeria were the first to embrace the co-operative law that set in motion the emergence of social enterprises, starting co-operatives that assisted residents with monetary and social support. These ventures created some positive impact for a short time but many buckled as corruption and political wrangling crept into their management.

In recent years, the concept of social enterprise has once again gained momentum and emerged as a viable alternative to existing models for tackling social issues and needs in Nigeria (Thomas, 2004).

LIST AND EXPLAIN AT LEAST 10 SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS – WHAT THEY DID AS SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

 

10 SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS AND WHAT THEY DID AS SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

  1. Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji

Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji as a social entrepreneur founded Rise Networks in 2007. She was named by Forbes as one of the 20 most Powerful Young Women in Africa is a Data Science & Artificial Intelligence Leader, Social Entrepreneur & Policy Advisor in EdTech & Human Capital Development. She is the Founder / CEO of RISE NETWORKS, Nigeria’s leading Social Enterprise whose mandate focuses on using Tech Innovation to create advocacy, skills empowerment and learning opportunities for the inclusive growth of Youth with the core objective of preparing them for effective Value Based Leadership at all levels in the Public, Private and Social Sectors.

Rise Networks owns The Rise Labs, Nigeria’s first and only Data Science powered Learning, Research and Work Readiness Lab and their trainings, projects & products are centered around Emerging Technologies and Disruptive Innovation in the realms of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Internet of Things & Advanced Analytics. We’re knowledge focused, research and development driven and we teach and create courses in technical skills relevant for the Future of Work and we create and deliver data driven project/product models for private and public sector organizations and institutions for the good and growth of society. They designed and built the first career Job Chat bot in West Africa which was listed as part of the AI Mentoring in the Workplace Working Group of the UN AI for Good Project in 2019. Another of their flagship projects is Passnownow.com, which is Sub-Saharan Africa’s most used mobile learning portal with access to curriculum-based education content with standardized assessments and exam review questions in digital format distributed via web and mobile to underserved high School Students and Teachers.

  1. Amina Temitope Ajayi

Amina Temitope Ajayi founded Nigerian American Agricultural Empowerment Program (NAAEP) in 2010. Nigerian American Agricultural Empowerment Program (NAAEP). The Nigerian American Agricultural Empowerment Program (NAAEP) in 2010. Nigerian American Agricultural Empowerment Program engages in the Agricultural empowerment of farmers, women and young Adults in Nigeria in order to increase foods sufficiency and sustainable employment for women and youths in the agricultural sector. NAAEP has been a grassroots organization that trains and empowers farmers in mechanized farming system, while facilitating business loans, accessibility to farm implements, and the harvesting and marketing of their end product both locally and internationally.

 In 2010, Chief Ajayi called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to reduce the interest rates on loans to farmers in order to boost the agricultural sector and to alleviate poverty in the country. Chief Temitope Ajayi is an Ambassador of Goodwill for the State of Arkansas and Maryland, USA. Chief Ms. Ajayi was a distinguished delegate at the past 2014 Nigeria’s National Conference where she represented the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) in Nigeria and served in the Confab’s Committee on Agriculture. Chief Temitope Ajayi in her address at the Annual Meeting of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund, informed delegates that “Women are the engine of the private sector, women run the economy of any nation – because they are more into commerce than their male counterpart, the power of any currency is in their ability to meet the demand and supply”.

Her philanthropic goodwill gestures started when she established a Fashion/Technical school for underprivileged students in Ibadan, Nigeria in 1980–1985.  Chief Ajayi later on championed and advocated for One Million Goodluck Housing Programme for the Diasporas in collaboration with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria under the DIASPORA HOUSING LOAN SCHEME.[19] With the recent passing of the Bill establishing the Diaspora Commission, Chief Ajayi called on President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint credible individuals from the diaspora into the commission to ensure its success.

LIST AND EXPLAIN AT LEAST 10 SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS – WHAT THEY DID AS SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

  1. Roseline Adewuyi

In 2018, Adewuyi started writing on her website each week highlighting issues around African girls and organizes regular school outreaches for girls in secondary schools, teaching them the skills they need as potential leaders. National Youth Service corps served as the bedrock of her activism as she received an Award as a distinguished corps member in Kwara State due to her community development contributions during her service year.

Roseline Adebimpe Adewuyi is a Nigerian social educator, gender advocate and feminist. In 2020, she was among the sixty women doing phenomenal things profiled by BusinessDay Women’s Hub in celebration of Nigeria’s 60th independence and a 2018 fellow of Dalai Lama Fellowship due to her work on the development of the girl child

 

  1. Kunle Adewale

Kunle Adewale as a Nigerian social entrepreneur founded Tender Arts Nigeria in 2013, an Organization with focus on Therapeutic arts, arts in health, talent development, community empowerment and civic engagement through visual, literary and performing arts which benefit children, youth, adults and the aged across the world.

In 2015, he met President Barack Obama in the United States thorough Mandela Washington Fellowship for leadership impacts in using arts to improve the lives of people in his environment and in 2019, he received an international recognition in the United States as August 2 was declared as “Kunle Adewale Day” by the Mayor of Cincinnati, John Cranley in recognition of his contribution to the United States in both fields of Arts and Medicine.

 

  1. Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin

Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin as a social entrepreneur founded Pearls Africa Youth Foundation in 2015, an NGO that is focused on stimulating the cause and advancement of susceptible young girls and women.

Ajayi-Akinfolarin believes strongly in the importance of girls and women being not only consumers of technology solutions or products but also creators. Thus these ladies and women are empowered to solve problems in their communities and develop a value for themselves, this gave birth to GirlsCoding, a flagship program of Pearls Africa.  Wanting to help close that gap and encourage more women in her field, Ajayi-Akinfolarin established her own non-profit organization.

In 2012, Ajayi-Akinfolarin founded Pearls Africa Youth Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organization that assists girls in developing technology skills through various programs including; GirlsCoding, G.C Mentors, GirlsInSTEM and Empowered Hands. Since 2012, the organization has trained over 400 young women to code.

  1. Adenike Akinsemolu

Adenike Akinsemolu as a social entrepreneur founded Green Campus Initiative (GCI) in 2015, the first campus-based environmental advocacy organization in Nigeria. Its organizational model was recognized at the Fourth Annual Green Campuses Conference 2015 at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa with awards for green campus activities.

Akinsemolu has promoted the girl child education cause and founded the “Girl Prize”, a scholarship and mentorship program. She participated in the Clinton Foundation relief mission following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

  1. Nkiru Balonwu

In 2017, Nkiru Balonwu as a social entrepreneur founded African Women on Board which launched internationally at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice, New York, on 26 September 2019 during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), with the aim “to give a voice to African women and change how they’re perceived”.

However, in 2010, Balonwu was a recipient of the Founder Region Fellowship, a gift-giving body that focuses on “improving the lives of women and girls locally and globally by giving fellowships to women who will truly make a difference in the world.” Balonwu won the prize under a Law and Social Science focus and a legal dissertation based on analyzing the opportunities that the African film industry, “Nollywood” offers to women as a catalyst for economic development.

  1. Joseph Osuigwe Chidiebere

In 2015, Joseph Osuigwe Chidiebere founded The Academy for Prevention of Human Trafficking and Other Related Matters (TAPHOM), a platform that uses training, research, advocacy, publication and media to prevent human trafficking in Nigeria.

However, during his National Youth Service in 2013 at women rehabilitation centre operated by Society Against Prostitution and Child Labour (SAP-CLN) in Abuja, he published and donated his book titled: Maximizing Your Brain Power…a pathway to becoming an intellectual giant” to more than 90 schools in 85 communities. After interacting with survivors of sex trafficking at the women rehabilitation centre, he initiated a community project through which he trained 1900 young people to work towards eradicating human trafficking in Abuja. He received an award by National Youth Service Corps for his community projects on education and anti-human trafficking.

 

LIST AND EXPLAIN AT LEAST 10 SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS – WHAT THEY DID AS SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

  1. Crystal Chigbu

Crystal Chigbu  as a social entrepreneur founded The Irede foundation (TIF) in 2012. The IREDE Foundation to advocate for young amputees and children with limb disorders, as well as to work closely with specialists and the community to ensure that they are self-sufficient. The foundation seeks to accomplish this by providing prosthetic and orthodontic devices to underprivileged youngsters (ages 2 to 18).  It also encourages children and their parents through support groups and helps them reintegrate into the school system following their recovery. The Foundation started precisely 23 August 2012, but the plan began in June 2012.

  1. Tony Elumelu

Tony Elumelu founded The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) in 2010. Tony Elumelu Foundation is Africa’s leading philanthropic institution focused on supporting African entrepreneurs Tony O. Elumelu is one of Africa’s leading investors and philanthropists. He is the Founder and Chairman of Heirs Holdings, his family owned investment company committed to improving lives and transforming Africa, through long-term investments in strategic sectors of the African economy including financial services, hospitality, power, energy, technology and healthcare.

CONCLUSION

Social entrepreneurship is not a new phenomenon. Although the practice has always existed, for many reasons, the concept is gaining popularity in recent years. While the focus has been on business entrepreneurship as a tool for economic growth and development, the light is now on social entrepreneurship, which entails tackling pressing social issues using a sustainable business model. Community development efforts have met with various challenges and limitations that hamper sustainability. The emergence of social entrepreneurship as a hybrid approach and positive force for transforming communities suggests the possibility of dealing with the key challenges of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, climate changes, health care challenges, insecurity and other social and economic issues.

REFERENCES

Olokundun, T, & Wei L., (2018). How social enterprises can help us meet the SDGs. Retrieved from: https://blogs.adb.org/blog/how-social-enterprises-can-help-us-meet-sdgs.

European Commission (2013). Social Economy and Social Entrepreneurship. Social Europe Guide, Vol. 4, 59-71. European Union: Luxembourg.

Thomas C. J. (2004). The Role of Social Entrepreneurship in Community Development. An unpublished Master’s Thesis of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

About Peter Lawson 2732 Articles
Peter Hezekiah Lawson (Sir Pee). The CEO of onlineproject.com.ng. A reputable researcher, Web Developer, ICT Instructor and a publisher of many research works in Education.