Ooni honours 100 youths, unveils N1bn fund for women entrepreneurs with SMEDAN

His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has 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.

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. 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 RAYLF Awards and the Dangote Refinery tour stand as powerful symbols of Africa’s progress and the bright future that lies ahead for the continent.

Next on the tour was a visit to Abeokuta, the capital city of Ogun State where awardees held a town hall meeting with former president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. At the meeting, the former president, in his element, welcomed the young awardees who were visiting from other African countries and implored them to push themselves into leadership positions so they could influence policies in their different countries.

The awardees were also paid a visit by the amiable governor of Ogun State, Governor Dapo Abiodun. The governor pledged his support to the group and donated 200 original copies of the bestselling Jonathan Paul IV’s ‘Built’. The group continued the tour by making their way from Abeokuta to Ile-Ife where they were hosted at a welcome dinner by the Founder and Host of the Royal African Young Leadership Forum (RAYLF), the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, where he announced the founding of the Royal African Chamber of Commerce which he said would birth ‘African Leopards’ who he said through partnerships and networking would create businesses and endeavors that will define the rest of the century.

The event also saw the launch of a N1 billion fund called Women Owned Micro Businesses (W.O.M.B) by the Ooni of Ife, and SMEDAN, the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency. The Director-General, Charles Odii, announced this.  Odii said “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 N1 billion fund to support the WOMB project.”

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