Africa’s innovation and technology landscape is set for a major transformation with the official launch of InnoPower Africa Foundation, a non-profit initiative aimed at empowering African youths through innovation, skills development, and job creation.
The Foundation, unveiled at a high-level event at The Art Hotel in Lagos, is the African arm of InnoPower Indy, USA, founded by Emil Ekiyor, a Nigerian-born innovation strategist and retired American NFL player. The launch attracted key figures from government, academia, business, and development sectors—all united by a shared goal of advancing Africa’s digital future.
In his address, Ekiyor said the initiative was born out of the urgent need to bridge Africa’s unemployment gap by equipping young people with practical, future-ready skills.
“Our mission is to democratize AI literacy and economic opportunity across the continent—starting in Lagos,” Ekiyor declared. “This is not aid; this is investment in Africa’s digital future.”
Through strategic partnerships with the Nigerian Philanthropy Office, University of Lagos’ ARUA Centre of Excellence for Unemployment and Skills Development (CoE-USD), ECOWAS Small Business Coalition, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), and Itana (formerly Talent City), the Foundation aims to create a sustainable ecosystem that connects innovation, entrepreneurship, and access to global funding networks.
Ekiyor outlined the Foundation’s core focus areas, which include:
- AI literacy programs targeting over 10,000 youths through master trainer networks.
- Patient capital pipelines to channel U.S.-based funds to vetted Nigerian entrepreneurs via the Federal Government’s i-Philanthropy platform.
- Global market access for startups, linking African innovators directly to the digital economy.
- Strategic partnerships to strengthen Africa’s innovation ecosystem.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Adedeji Badiru, Dean Emeritus of the Graduate School of Engineering and Management, Air Force Institute of Technology, USA, described the initiative as “a timely intervention to convert Africa’s demographic advantage into economic power.”
Similarly, Prof. Sunday Abayomi Adebisi, Director of the Entrepreneurship and Skills Development Centre at the University of Lagos, lauded the Foundation’s mission, saying:
“InnoPower Africa is a bridge between youth potential and global opportunity. This is the kind of bold, homegrown leadership Africa needs to define its own future.”
Ekiyor also revealed plans to expand InnoPower Africa’s programs across multiple African countries, building a continental network of innovators equipped to lead in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
