Five Ekiti youths are among the graduates of Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative celebrated by the U.S. Consulate General, Lagos, Nigeria.
The youths are Oluwatoyosi Tanimowo, Tunji Quddus Abdulfatai, Blessing Tunde Dada, Temitayo Elijah Balogun and Kayode Teslim Owoso.
On the 16th of August, 2024, the U.S. Consulate celebrated the 2023/2024 graduates among whom are 5 Ekiti youths who implemented the DigiGirls project at Corpus Christi College, Ilawe Ekiti.
The project executed by the Ekiti Youth was the training of 31 girls on the use of 21st-century technology as a tool to empower them economically. Participants were drawn from three schools: Corpus Christi College, United High School, and Oniwe Comprehensive High School, Ekiti South West LGA, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
During the graduation ceremony, certificates were presented by Will Stevens, the Consul General, U.S. Consulate General, Lagos, Nigeria to the graduates.
Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative (CYFI) is a dynamic youth-based initiative launched in 2011 by the U.S. Consulate General, Lagos, Nigeria.
Through the CYFI, young people in Nigeria with extraordinary vision, aptitude, and experience come together to plan and carry out initiatives to improve Nigerian society. CYFI inspired Walter Carrington, a former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria and supporter of democracy, civil freedoms, and deeper links between the United States and Nigeria.
Short profile of the Ekiti youths celebrated by the U.S. Consulate for their impacts in Ekiti State are below:
1: Oluwatoyosi Tanimowo is a passionate and dedicated public health advocate committed to making a lasting impact in her community. She holds a Master’s degree from the University of Ibadan.
She has been actively involved in several public health intervention projects throughout Ekiti State and Nigeria. She’s committed to courses that would better the lives of the underserved in her community, especially women and children.
2: Tunji Quddus Abdulfatai is an assurance service professional, he’s also the CEO of Bolak Agro, an agricultural food processing company. With a deep commitment to self-development, he continuously hones his skills to ensure quality and compliance. Passionate about helping others, he leverages his expertise to support his team and clients, driving excellence in the industry.
3: Blessing Tunde Dada is an experienced international educational development practitioner and technopreneur strongly committed to empowering marginalised communities through innovative technology and development initiatives. I am pursuing an MA in International Education and Development at the University of Sussex through a prestigious Chevening Scholarship.
4: Temitayo Elijah Balogun is a lecturer and machine learning expert with web development experience. He has mentored over 100 students and is passionate about community impact, volunteering for CYFI, DaVoicce, Sandalili, and organizing Owajoba writes. Through the Data Science Network, he helps Nigerians grasp basic machine learning concepts.
5: Kayode Teslim Owoso is a social development worker and a consultant at the Foundation for Sustainable Health Promotion and Development (FOSHPAD). He’s a Social Media Advocate for UNFPA Nigeria, UNICEF Nigeria, and UNICEF Global. He has designed Social Media Toolkits for UNICEF Global to implement a Global Alliance and Breakthrough Partnership in 12 African countries towards the fight against HIV/AIDS
The young people appreciate Ekiti State Government for supporting the DigiGirls project, the U.S. Consulate for the initiative, American Spaces, Nigeria Youth Futures Fund, Leap Africa, Access Bank, Kensington Adebukola Adebutu Foundation and others.