Sahara Foundation, the personal and corporate social responsibility vehicle for Sahara Group, in collaboration with LEAP Africa, Ford Foundation, and Impact Investors Foundation has honored its Sahara Impact Fund (SIF) Fellows whose businesses are set to promote sustainable development across Africa.
The Fellows were honoured at the LEAP Africa Social Innovators Programme & Awards (SIPA) ceremony held in Lagos. This year’s SIPA event themed ‘Reawaken, Redesign and Re-emerge: Africa Beyond Potential,’ drew speakers and panelists from across Africa, Europe, and North America to discuss challenges that impede Africa’s growth and development with a keen focus on social entrepreneurship while providing novel strategies to enable the much-desired transformation.
Speaking at the event, the executive director at Sahara Foundation, Pearl Uzokwe, commended the Fellows for their efforts in creating innovations that promote social impact.
“We are excited to be part of this transformative partnership that is committed to bringing sustainable change to the African continent. We are also proud of our Fellows who have risen above the structural limitations and social barriers to solve societal problems. I urge you to put your training to good use, think beyond the profit and focus on doing good and doing well,” Uzokwe said.
Founder, LEAP Africa, Ndidi Okonkwo, commended the partners for supporting the initiative and reiterated the need for impact investments for social entrepreneurs to scale sustainably.
She said, “We recognise that youth leadership and inclusion are critical to wealth creation and development across the continent.” Nwuneli commended the African youths for leveraging their entrepreneurial abilities and innovation to solve Africa’s social problems, adding that, “LEAP Africa will continue to raise and empower a movement of young African social entrepreneurs and enterprises capable of transforming Africa into the Africa of our dreams.”
Sahara Foundation, through the Sahara Impact Fund (SIF), leverages the LEAP Africa’s Social Innovators Programme to bridge the gap in social innovation and social entrepreneurship, and foster relations amongst African innovators.
The three-month Fellowship programme which combines virtual learning and in-class experiences, through its ‘governance unusual curriculum’ challenges the Fellows to be the measure ‘for doing the right thing’ against all odds.
