His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has once again demonstrated his commitment to Africa’s youth by announcing the winners of the prestigious Royal African Young Leadership Forum (RAYLF) Awards.
The annual awards ceremony, now in its fourth year, celebrated exceptional young Africans who are making significant contributions to their communities and the continent at large. This year’s honorees, a distinguished group of 100 young leaders from 40 African countries, were recognized for their outstanding achievements across various fields, including entrepreneurship, politics, advocacy, technology, healthcare, and social impact. The awards ceremony, themed “Africa of the Future: Better Together,” took place on July 12 and 13, 2024.
As a testament to their commitment to experiencing the pinnacle of African ingenuity, the RAYLF 2024 awardees embarked on a special tour of the Dangote Refinery in Lagos State, Nigeria. This state-of-the-art refinery, the largest single-train refinery in the world, has been hailed as a game-changer for Africa’s energy landscape. The awardees were met by the Director of Construction and the Vice President of the Dangote Group, who provided insights into the refinery’s groundbreaking technology and its potential to transform Nigeria’s economy. The tour underscored the continent’s growing capacity to undertake and complete mega-projects.
Next, the awardees visited Abeokuta, the capital city of Ogun State, where they held a town hall meeting with former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. During the meeting, Obasanjo welcomed the young leaders and encouraged them to seek leadership positions to influence policies in their respective countries. Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State also pledged his support to the group and donated 200 original copies of Jonathan Paul Iv’s “Built.”
The tour continued to Ile-Ife, where the awardees were hosted at a welcome dinner by the Ooni of Ife. Among the guests at the dinner was Abubakar Abba Bello, CEO and Managing Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), who announced that the bank would provide funding and export consultancy to one of the awardees involved in cassava starch extraction.
The official award ceremony began with the recitation of the national anthem, the Ife anthem, and the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) anthem. Special guests included the Minister of State for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Jamila Bio Ibrahim, and the Director General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Charles Odii.
Dr. Shola Owonikoko, the RAYLF president, delivered a speech extolling the vision of the Ooni of Ife and the impact of RAYLF on inspiring young Africans. Oba Ogunwusi then announced the founding of the Royal African Chamber of Commerce, which aims to create partnerships and networking opportunities for young African entrepreneurs.
The event also saw the launch of a ₦1 billion fund called Women Owned Micro Businesses (WOMB) by the Ooni of Ife and SMEDAN. Odii stated, “The project is an initiative envisioned by His Royal Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, to train, fund, mentor, and support female entrepreneurs across Nigeria with access to local, regional, and global markets. SMEDAN is committed to providing the ₦1 billion fund to support the WOMB project.”
The ceremony concluded with the awardees being fully inducted into the RAYLF and receiving their signed certificates.