Founder, DURIAN
With close to a decade of active service and experience in the social enterprise sector, Tony Joy is passionate about rural development. And as the Founder of Durian (durian.org.ng), she supports marginalized groups such as rural people—especially women and girls in Nigeria—to gain marketable skills and in turn, lead better lives.
Due to her commitment in shaping better economic and social systems, Tony has received multiple awards, an induction into the prestigious Ashoka Fellowship and an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society. She continues to engage with women living in rural communities, training and supporting them through Durian, to actively be change agents; to lead the process of change as they create rural communities of the future that are circular, creative, and empowered by rural women. Tony Joy is one of those in Nigeria leading the conversation on what development for rural communities truly means.
Film maker
Justinah Oluwadara Ajayi is a registry staff at the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo and a graduate of Agricultural Extension and Management from the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure.
She is a filmmaker, with several certifications from Mount Zion Institute of Christian Drama, who has employed the use of media to re-orientate the society about their perception of Persons with Disability.
She is the President of Exceptional Grace Ministry International; Founder and Initiator of Exceptional Grace Initiative for Disability Advocacy; and Convener of the Gracious "Me" Campaign.
Through the activities of these organizations, she has been able to reach over 2000 adults and children living with disability, sensitizing them on purpose discovery and maximization; catering to their basic needs; provision of food and mobility aids such as wheelchairs and crutches; and seeking to empower them with skills for financial independence.
She loves singing and traveling.
Mosobalaje Akinola
EdTech innovator
Akinola Mosobalaje is an experienced EdTech innovator, problem-solver, and leader with a background in information technology and education. He has experience in managing teams of various sizes, motivating them towards success, and developing potential into realized skill sets. Akinola never gives up on an opportunity to advance himself or others around him and is continuously challenging the status quo in the Nigerian educational system through viable tech solutions. This culminates in his 2019 appointment as the Nigerian representative for ICT University, USA (serving developing nations) and his EdTech innovation award by Adeyemi College of Education for giving the institution a pride of place on the global map through technology solutions.
Akinola's greatest passion is to see the integration of technologies with education in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa as a tool for sustainable development.
Public Speaking Coach, Ideator
Oluwapelumi Awe is a creative master of ceremonies, voiceover artist, public speaking coach, thought leader and ideator, he holds Bsc (hons) in Economics education from Obafemi Awolowo University.
Oluwapelumi Awe is a master of ceremonies with a unique sense of engagement, creativity and humour. His style of anchoring events has been regarded by many as the 21st century way of hosting events. He has anchored events in top-class event centres like Eagles Square, Abuja (The centre for presidential inauguration in Nigeria), Great Eagle Centre, Ekiti State and many more.
He is the lead trainer at World Class Speaking Academy which is a centre where impactful and confident speakers are trained and raised.
For over 5 years now, He has facilitated training on Presentation Skills, public speaking, team-building, sales, customer service, effective communication and so on for different companies and organizations.
Scaling Specialist, IITA
Thompson Ogunsanmi is an agribusiness specialist, partnership facilitator, and value chain development expert with expertise in Scaling agricultural innovations. He started his career with Stanmark Cocoa Processing Limited and currently works as a Scaling Specialist with International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA). He has worked in both short and long-term assignments with international organizations and has been involved for over 20 years in scaling agricultural innovations, partnership buildings, and developing strategies, supporting supply chains of many private/multinational companies in Nigeria, and other countries. He is very vast in market linkages, value chains development, scaling strategies, brokering business relationships, sustainability; business development in emerging markets; advocacy and facilitation of business environment initiatives; inclusive finance; Public Private Partnerships between companies, female/male farmers, governments and NGOs.