Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji
Born
Oluwatoyosi Akerele

(1983-11-08) 8 November 1983
Lagos State, Nigeria
OccupationPhilanthropreneur
Spouse
Adekunle Ogunsiji
​
(m. 2014)​
Websitetoyosi.ng

Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji (born Oluwatoyosi Akerele, 8 November 1983) is a Nigerian social entrepreneur and human development expert whose work cuts across entrepreneurship, education, youth development and public leadership. She is the founder and chief executive officer of Rise Networks, a Nigeria-based private and public sector funded Youth Interest social enterprise.[1]

Early life and education

Akerele-Ogunsiji was born to the family of James Ayodele and Felicia Mopelola Akerele in Lagos State, Nigeria. She attended Ebun Oluwa Nursery and Primary School, Oregun Lagos from where she headed to Lagos State Model College Kankon Badagry, Lagos for her Junior Secondary Education from 1994 to 1996 before proceeding to Egbado College (now Yewa College) from 1998 till June 2000 for her Senior Secondary Education where she graduated as the best Student in the Essay Competition organised by the Aionian Group of Schools in Ogun State.[2] She obtained a Second Class Upper Degree in Civil Law from the University of Jos in April 2007. Akerele-Ogunsiji is A Mason Fellow and Mid Career Master in Public Administration alumnus of the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.[3]

She studied Strategic Management at Executive Level at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School, obtained a Certificate in Youth Inclusive Financial Services from University of New Hampshire, Durham, United States, holds a Certificate in Media Enterprise from the School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University and an Executive Masters’ Certificate in Project Management from The Project Management College, UK. She has also studied Digital Marketing Strategy at the UK Institute of Digital Marketing.[4]

Professional career

Akerele-Ogunsiji started her career in 2007 as a Corporate Communications and External Affairs Executive at Oando Oil and Gas PLC.[5] She moved on to the Ministry of Youths and Social Development, Ogun State, Nigeria where she was the Special Assistant to the Honourable Commissioner on Youth Development before going on to establish Rise Human And Education Development Networks, an organisation that focuses on creating intellectual development and capacity building programs for young Nigerians between 16 and 30.[6]

Akerele-Ogunsiji founded Passnownow in 2012 with the aim of helping indigent and deprived secondary school children to access and use Curriculum Compliant Education Content, from the comfort of Mobile Devices.[7] She also founded, Printmagicng, a Printing firm that delivers 24 hours Printing Service at low cost to Small Businesses via the Internet.[8][9]

in 2017, Akerele-Ogunsiji led international students of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to a one-week Public Sector and Innovation Field Trip in, Lagos, Nigeria. The trip was described as providing "a veritable platform for Engagement for Harvard Students and Faculty to learn more about Urban Development and Innovation, Economic Competitiveness, Democratic Governance and emerging Trends in the Public Policies of Lagos and Nigeria."[10]

Family

In 2014, she married Adekunle Ogunsiji, an ICT professional, in a low key wedding at her family house in Ikeja, Lagos.[11]

Publications

Akerele-Ogunsiji had several papers and publications on leadership, youth and business development, including authoring:

  • Strate-Tricks: strategies and tricks, the winning formula for emerging businesses[12]
  • We Have to Belong: Why the Poor Majority of my Rich Country cannot wait anymore which was launched at the Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School in May 2017.[13]

Her writings and interviews have been published in The Nation, the Nigerian Guardian, The Punch and This Day newspapers.

Awards, appointments and recognition

  • Selected as one of 101 Young African Leaders by the African Business Forum in 2007[14]
  • Alumni of the Prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program of the United States Government[12]
  • Recognition by Crans Montana Forum in Europe as a New Leader of Tomorrow [15]
  • Recipient of This Day Awards for Nigeria's Women of Distinction [16][17]
  • Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 of Success Digest Entrepreneurial Awards [18]
  • Recipient of the 2011 Excellence Awards of the School of Media and Communication, Pan African University[19]
  • Recipient of the 2008 Future Africa Awards Best Use of Advocacy Category and the Nigerian Youth Leadership Awards jointly organized by Leap Africa, International Youth Foundation and NOKIA.[20][21][22]
  • One of the honorees’ of the Top 100 Young Leaders’ Recognition at the Nigeria's Centenary Celebrations by the Federal Government[14]
  • Honoured by 234 GIVE, a Social Initiative that encourages Nigerians to donate to the adopted Charities and improve livelihoods for the less privileged [23]
  • In May 2010, Toyosi was selected for the Nigeria Leadership Initiative's Future Leaders Fellowship. NLI is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.[19][24]
  • Member of The Right to Know Initiative, a Nonprofit focused on Human Rights and Open Data Issues and their social impact on Citizens in 2011 * Appointed the Youngest Member of the Victims of Terrorism Funds Committee.[25]
  • Jury Member of the Get Started Africa Entrepreneurship Challenge initiated by NESCAFÉ to empower Youth across the Continent[26]
  • Member and a Mentor of the African Entrepreneurship Awards & a Mentor on the Bank of Africa's Africa Entrepreneurship Awards[26]
  • Named on the 2015 Honours List of Genevieve Magazine's Top 21 most Outstanding Nigerian Women and in 2016 as one of Nigeria's youngest achievers under 35.[27]

She has delivered Papers and presentations as well as led focused group discussions at the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Women in Management, Business and Public Sector, Youth Africamp organized annually by Open Society Institute of East Africa, Women of West African Entrepreneurship, Africa Wide Consultation on Post 2015 Development Agenda and Expert Group Meeting, and the United Nations Media Workshop on Africa Governance Report.[28][29][30][31]

Akerele-Ogunsiji was in June 2011 described by Michelle Obama, then First Lady of the United States, as one of her personal inspirations in a televised address to America as a prelude to her arrival in Africa for the Young African Women Leaders Forum of which Akerele-Ogunsiji remains the only Nigerian member to date.[32][33] In 2014, Forbes named Akerele-Ogunsiji as one of the 20 most Powerful Young Women in Africa.[34] In the same year, she was also nominated for the MTV Africa Music Awards.[35]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Nsehe, Mfonobong. "The 20 Youngest Power Women In Africa 2014". Forbes.
  2. ↑ "Meet Toyosi Rise-Akerele, The Nigerian Entrepreneur Endorsed By Michelle Obama". 4 May 2017.
  3. ↑ Ayoola, Simbiat (3 May 2017). "Meet Nigerian lady Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji who graduated from Harvard Kennedy School alongside 40 exceptional women (photos)".
  4. ↑ "2016 New Student Post #14: Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, MC/MPA Mason". Harvard Kennedy School Admissions Blog.
  5. ↑ "AKERELE-OGUNSIJI, Oluwatoyosi". Biographical Legacy and Research Foundation. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "Rise Networks Founder to Speak, Mentor Innovators at Oxford Africa Conf".
  7. ↑ "TECHTRENDS ON CHANNELS TV FEATURED PASSNOWNOW.COM FOUNDER, TOYOSI AKERELE-OGUNSIJI - Passnownow.com". passnownow.com.
  8. ↑ "Print Everything For Less With Print Magic • Connect Nigeria". www.connectnigeria.com.
  9. ↑ "Inside PRINTMAGICNG.COM - Africa's Fast, Affordable, High Quality Online Printing Service - PRINTMAGIC". www.printmagicng.com. 31 May 2021.
  10. ↑ "Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji takes MIT & Harvard Kennedy School Students on Policy Tour of Lagos - Photos - BellaNaija". www.bellanaija.com. 9 August 2017.
  11. ↑ Dede, Steve. "Toyosi Akerele: Inspirational Speaker Ties Knot In Secret Wedding". Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  12. 1 2 "Toyosi Akerele". www.africayouthawards.org.
  13. ↑ "Our Team". risenetworks.org.
  14. 1 2 "Women in Focus - BusinessDay : News you can trust : BusinessDay : News you can trust". Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  15. ↑ "Toyosi AKERELE". She Forum Africa. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  16. ↑ "Nigeria: Thisday Honours 45 Women With Awards for Excellence". 4 January 2012 – via AllAfrica.
  17. ↑ "Men and Women of Excellence! Full list of Nominees for the17th ThisDay Annual Awards! |". Archived from the original on 18 February 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  18. ↑ Oladipupo, Isaac (23 November 2011). "Toyosi Akerele Wins "Young Entrepreneur Of The Year" Award - Topnaija". Topnaija.ng. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  19. 1 2 "Final draft Annualreport Single Page for Web" (PDF). Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  20. ↑ "The Future Awards Africa 2013: Best 100". YNaija.com. 15 December 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  21. ↑ "Nigeria's Toyosi Akerele, Others Named Amongst Africa's Top 30 Most Inspirational Young People - Abusidiqu". 10 July 2013.
  22. ↑ "LeadershipPanels". 2017 Africa Business Conference.
  23. ↑ "HONOURED TO BE A 234 GIVE AWARDEE". 20 October 2014.
  24. ↑ "THIS IS ME". 22 April 2014.
  25. ↑ "VSF Team - Victim Support Fund". victimssupportfundng.org.
  26. 1 2 Badmus, Kitan (11 July 2015). "Toyosi Akerele Appointed As Judge Of Get Started Africa Entrepreneurial Challenge". Thesheet.ng.
  27. ↑ kofi (26 June 2013). "10 Under 35 Changemakers in Nigeria You Need To Know". Kofi Yeboah. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  28. ↑ Chizea, Boniface (1 November 2010). "Nigeria: Sixteenth Economic Summit" – via AllAfrica.
  29. ↑ "Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji – Oxford Africa Conference 2018". www.oxfordafricaconference.com.
  30. ↑ Youths, Thisday Glitz (10 November 2010). "THISDAY GLITZ YOUTHS: Young Nigerian Leaders advocate for Visionary Leadership at the 16th Nigerian Economic Summit".
  31. ↑
  32. ↑ "New Telegraph – Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji: Michelle Obama's personal inspiration". Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  33. ↑ RISE Networks (2 April 2012). "MICHELLE OBAMA'S COMMENT ON TOYOSI RISE AKERELE.mp4" – via YouTube.
  34. ↑ "Toyosi Akerele, CEO Rise Networks, on Young CEO Ndani Blog - Powered by Guaranty Trust Bank plc". ndani.tv.
  35. ↑ "Toyosi Akerele & Ashish J. Thakkar Nominated for 2014 MAMA Leadership Award - BellaNaija". www.bellanaija.com. 22 May 2014.
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