LEAP Africa commits to youth-led transformation in driving continent’s economic growth

L-R: Amabelle Nwakanma, director, programmes & partnerships, LEAP Africa; Clare Omatseye, managing director, JNC International and board chair, LEAP Africa; Terry Ferdinand, JCI Eko (representative of the awardee); Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, executive chair, Innocent Chukwuemeka Chukwuma Empowerment Foundation (ICCEF), and Kehinde Ayeni, executive director, LEAP Africa, at the recent 2025 Social Innovators Programme and Awards (SIPA) in Lagos.

Kehinde Ayeni, executive director, LEAP Africa, has reiterated its commitment to youth-led transformation capable of driving the continent’s economic growth hinged on the audacity and resilience of Africa’s young innovators.

Ayeni made this known during the recent 2025 Social Innovators Programme and Awards (SIPA), themed, ‘Africa as the Sector: Maximising Possibilities through Technology, Finance, and Policy.’

According to Ayeni, Africa’s economic transformation will be driven by young innovators across the continent. “Collaboration is innovation, and innovation is the engine of transformation. We need tripartite collaboration. The time is now for Africa.”

Ayeni added that for over a decade, SIPA has catalysed impact investing, shifted narratives, and strengthened Africa’s innovation pipeline. According to her, the 2025 edition brought together leading innovators, policy shapers, financiers, development partners, and ecosystem builders to reassert Africa’s position as a global powerhouse of possibility.

The 2025 SIPA is the 12th edition of Leap Africa’s flagship initiative that celebrates young innovators, and reaffirmed that Africa is not merely participating in the global future, it is defining it.

The SIPA convening explored how Africa, long framed as an emerging market, must now be recognised as a sector of creativity, investment, and transformative influence, driven by a generation of ambitious and technologically enabled young innovators.

Read also: LEAP Africa reiterates commitment to fostering impactful partnerships for sustainable change

Leap Africa recognised two outstanding individuals through the Social Impact Award and the Outstanding Innovator Award categories. Abdulateef Olaosebikan of Nafarm Foods was awarded the Social Impact award, while Samuel Folorunsho of Legis 360 was recognised as the Outstanding Innovator of 2025.

The first panel session with the topic, ‘From Village to Virtual: Closing Africa’s Digital Divide with Smart Policy and Investment,’ moderated by Chimdindu Onwudiegbu, Associate Partner, Dalberg, Nigeria, explored how targeted investment and smart policymaking can unlock prosperity for underserved communities.

The second panel session, moderated by Amabelle Nwakanma, the director of programmes and partnerships at LEAP Africa, on ‘Seeds & Servers: Cultivating Sector-Tech Innovation in Africa emphasized that Africa’s future prosperity lies at the intersection of innovation, investment, and bold policy reform.

The panel sessions provided insights on unlocking Africa’s potential through systematic investment and policy alignment. The panelists’ contributions underscored a united commitment to strengthening Africa’s innovation infrastructure and catalysing collaboration across sectors.

The sessions examined the impact, challenges and opportunities for policy, finance and technology on the continent and the role Enterprise Support Organizations (ESOs) can play in shaping the future of Africa.

Seyi John Salau is a BusinessDay Correspondent with interest in development journalism, which tells stories that connect the people, brands, and the government. SeyiJohn is also a media professional with BSc, Mass Communition (ACU); Masters of School Media (MSM, Ibadan) & MSc, Mass Communication (Caleb).

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