LEAP Africa taps teachers and universities to build youth leadership in Nigeria

LEAP Africa Executive Director Kehinde Ayeni says the organisation is working to build ethical and innovative young leaders through education, employability, entrepreneurship, and active citizenship programmes.

She highlights efforts across African universities and schools to improve learning outcomes, civic engagement, and mental wellbeing, aiming to equip young people with agency to drive social and economic transformation.

Speaking on Monday during a Radio Generation interview, Ayeni said the organisation, founded in 2002, aims to strengthen human capital development and support young people in driving social and economic transformation.

“The premise for the organisation is that Africa really deserves and needs a new generation of leaders that are ethical, dynamic and innovative,” she said.

She explained that LEAP Africa works with young people aged between 14 and 35 through programmes implemented across schools, universities and communities, primarily using a “train-the-trainer” model.

At secondary school level, the organisation works through teachers who then cascade leadership content to students in classrooms, particularly focusing on improving learning outcomes and civic awareness.

“We are working through the teachers who are in the classrooms and then the young people who find themselves in the classroom,” she said.

The LEAP Africa Executive Director argued the organisation’s programmes extend beyond schools into higher education, with virtual leadership curricula delivered across more than 200 universities in Nigeria.

She noted that partnerships with student associations and unions help expand reach across institutions due to geographical and logistical limitations.

“Nigeria is huge, you’ve got to think about what are the cost-effective ways to reaching and connecting,” she said.

LEAP Africa (Leadership, Effectiveness, Accountability and Professionalism Africa) is a non-profit organisation founded in 2002 in Nigeria by social entrepreneur Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli.

It was created to address Africa’s leadership gap by training ethical, innovative young leaders for social and economic transformation.

The organisation delivers programmes in leadership, entrepreneurship, employability, and civic engagement, targeting youth, educators, and social entrepreneurs.

It also publishes research and runs school-based and community initiatives across Nigeria and other African countries.

Ayeni added that Nigerian universities also host debates and sustainability-focused engagements that encourage students to explore governance, democracy and the Sustainable Development Goals.

According to her, the organisation also works to link leadership development with real-world problem-solving, including community-based innovation projects.

She cited examples of students who have developed practical solutions, including a project where undergraduates used orange peels to create mosquito repellent products to address malaria challenges.

“They created something free for the community,” she said, adding that such initiatives demonstrate the potential for youth-led entrepreneurship.

However, Ayeni noted that funding constraints limit the organisation’s ability to fully incubate and scale such innovations, though they serve as entry points for further support.

The Executive Director emphasised that LEAP Africa maintains collaboration with government institutions in Nigeria at both state and federal levels, including ministries of education and youth development.

She said the organisation works closely with the Lagos State Ministry of Education, which provides guidance on school selection and programme deployment.

“Before you even deploy any programme at the secondary school level, you must go to the ministry,” she said.

She also highlighted participation in technical working groups that support youth policy development and strategic planning.

“We are reviewing the strategy of the state, to say what is your map for the country,” she said.

Ayeni said LEAP Africa contributes to national and state-level policy processes aimed at improving youth development frameworks and aligning them with global and regional priorities.

She added that the organisation’s approach focuses on ensuring young people are equipped with agency to make informed decisions about their future.

“A well-resourced young person who has come into their own and has sufficient agency to act as a citizen is an outcome,” she said.

She explained that young people face critical questions around livelihood, identity and opportunity, which programmes must help address.

“What am I going to eat? Who am I going to become? How am I going to get there?” she said.

Ayeni highlighted that the organisation also prioritises mental wellbeing as part of leadership development, arguing that leadership cannot be separated from mental resilience and personal development.

She noted that many young people in low-income communities face additional pressures, including becoming income earners at an early age.

“We find that some of the students, they are breadwinners,” she said.

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According to her, LEAP Africa’s long-term goal is to support smooth social and economic transitions for young people, ensuring they are prepared for both higher education and alternative livelihood pathways.

She concluded the organisation’s work ultimately aims to unlock youth potential and strengthen systems that enable young people to participate fully in society and national development.