The 2025 cohort of the Young Innovators Accelerator (YIA) by TEDxLagos and accelerated by Kijana concluded with resounding success, spotlighting 19 promising entrepreneurs from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa.
After an intensive program of mentorship, collaboration, and innovation, three standout ventures emerged:
- Most Innovative Business: Chimezie Martins, Darwin Foods — tackling food insecurity through sustainable farming.
- Most Impactful Business/Idea: Opeyemi Muyiwa-Dada, Florence AI — democratizing STEM education in schools with an AI-powered system.
- Most Viable Idea: Aderonke Salami, Clean Unity — connecting communities with local cleaners through a gig-based platform.
“These aren’t just good ideas,” says Mercy Akamo, TEDxLagos convener and YIA executive director. “They’re scalable solutions grounded in real problems, and our goal is to empower young people who are not waiting for permission to lead.”
Participants were mentored by a diverse group of global leaders, including:
- Daniel Cerventus (TEDxKL, NextUpAsia)
- Mercy Akamo (TEDxLagos, Kijana)
- Gabriella Uwadiegwu (Archangel Fund, Wetech)
- Florentina Niradewi (Learning Capital)
- Femi Taiwo (INITS, World Bank DPI consultant)
- Seyi Akamo (TUROG Technologies)
- Rose Umane (Meta)
- Chiaka Unegbu (SabiTeach)
- Lani Aisida (Netflix’s Ololade, African Stories Untold)
Accelerated by Kijana, a platform championing youth innovation a, the accelerator is part of a broader movement to connect talent with tools, mentorship, and community.
The YIA program brought expertise from fields spanning fintech, climate finance, software engineering, AI, storytelling, impact investing, and digital strategy, mentoring young innovators in how to pitch, prototype, and scale.
*Learn more about the program here and follow @yiaglobal and @joinkijana for updates and upcoming calls for applications.
