The Future Africa Leaders Award winners are simply overwhelmed and overjoyed by their nomination and eventual awards. They were going about their functions with no expectation from anybody or even to hope that someone would notice. Their joy knew no bounds after the Award ceremony took place during the 31st night service at the LOVEWORLD CRUSADE GROUND,ASEESE.

This year, 30 individuals from 30 African countries have been nominated for the highly-coveted global recognition awards, which will produce a Star Award Winner with a token of $25,000 as a show of encouragement and $10,000 each for other nominees from the founder and chief motivator of the Future Africa Leaders ‘Awards, Rev. Chris Oyakhilome.

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  MARIAMA GENDEMEH - SIERRA LEONE
  (STAR PRIZE WINNER 2023)

  Mariama Gendemeh from Sierra Leone is 23-years-old farmer, philanthropist and the Executive Director of Fresh Veggies Agro Company Limited. The company created jobs for 15 youths and generated $1,200, 40% of the income went to community feeding programs. She facililated food and felief items distribution to 3,000 people across 10 communities. Her ' Save the malnourished kids' project reaches over 10.000 children annually. Her Orange Fresh Sweet Potates initiative has benefitted 12 women's group in sex communities, sustaining school feeding programs. Mariama's company boasts a 50-hectace rice farm and the largest vegetable farm in Kenema. Her rive cultivation recorded a harvest of 850 tons in 2022 and 2023 and her Food systems Ressilience Program impacted over 1,300 members. she spearheaded several outreaches in 110 communities, providing essential sanitation materials, soap and education on protective measures. Mariama organized the SHE LEADS summit, empowering 500 girls with leadership skills in six schools. Through advocacy, she and other female leaders championed a 30% inclusivity of women in governance, resulting in key appointments and wins during the 2023 general elections. Mariama Gendemeh is indeed a catalyst for change, redefining leadership and showcasing the incredible potential of the African youth.

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  AZARIA TENDAYI CHIDZUNGU - MALAWI

  AZARIA TENDAYI CHIDZUNGU FROM MALAWI 20-year-old Azaria Chidzungu from Malawi is dynamic and has empowered thousands of young people through education and health outreaches. Azaria reached 120 pregnant women, providing buckets, maternity clothes, and Christian materials. He organized a blood donation drive and collected over 700 pints of blood for three hospitals. His medical initiative, LEAVE NO MALAWIAN BEHIND, conducted medical outreaches to rural districts and provided free healthcare services. He is currently spearheading an End Malaria Campaign, distributing over 20,000 mosquito nets. He embarked on the Feed Malawi Project and, working with 40 farmers, raised over 200 bags of maize for distribution in villages. His mushroom project taught 30 widows how to grow mushrooms, thus impacting over 50 families. Mind management seminars were held by Azaria using Power of Your Mind, transforming over 5,000 young people. He also got the book approved and included in several schools’ curricula. He adopted a children’s home that rescued 40 at-risk children, and mentored and enrolled them in school. He raised funds and renovated 20 classrooms in the Lunzu district. He also acquired 5,000+ books and built two libraries. Truly, Azaria Chidzungu stands out as a trailblazer who is changing the African narrative.

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  BAKAKI YUSUF FROM UGANDA

  BAKAKI YUSUF FROM UGANDA 23-year-old Bakaki Yusuf from Uganda is an avid nation-builder. Through various projects/programs of his NGO, 'Young Leaders Africa', Bakaki has reached millions of people. He started a 5-hectare MODEL FARM where youth and women learn modern farming methods, access good farming equipment, and get free seeds. Over 50,000 farmers from the region have visited the Model farm. He donated 10,000 packs of sanitary pads to 3,000 teenage girls, curbing absenteeism among young girls. Bakaki also donated 300 Mama Kits to expectant mothers at Kamuli General Hospital and sensitized them on best practices to ensure safe deliveries. So far, he has raised $15,000 and constructed 2 houses for senior citizens and their families. Additionally, he organized outreaches in seven districts, offering services such as orthopedic consultations, dermatology care, surgeries, dental care, malaria checkup and treatment, and free scans. Over 25,000 people were served with free medication worth nearly $30,000. He set up a resource center for over 500 street children to receive counseling, skills training, mentorship, swimming lessons, and free food. He also implemented the Educational Empowerment Project where he organized computer literacy seminars for over 1,000 children. Bakaki’s dedication to nation-building and development is commendable.

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  ELIZABETH AGUIL FROM SUDAN

  ELIZABETH AGUIL FROM SUDAN 20-year-old Elizabeth Aguil from Sudan is a firm believer that young people are the greatest asset of any country. Some of her feats this year include 'The South Sudan We Want Campaign' aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse, gender-based violence, child marriages, and the conscription of children and teenagers into the army, while also seeking equal opportunities and creating job opportunities. The campaign's success resulted in a law passed against child and forced marriages. The campaign reached millions and helped 10 girls secure government scholarships to tertiary institutions. Her 'Girls Take Over campaign' contributed significantly to many women being appointed to key offices and senior management positions in her community. Through her Banat Power Initiative, she helped young women acquire skills and set up businesses. To over 7,000 people in IDP camps, she distributed health kits, reusable pads, soaps, shoes, wrappers, torches, clothes, and food items to many families. Additionally, she organized a security summit with the Minister of Defense that led to the ban on carrying firearms on the streets of Sudan. As a radio presenter, she sensitized over 10,000 listeners weekly to stand against all forms of violence. We celebrate a young lady committed to transforming her nation.

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  GRACIOUS MAZIVANHANGA FROM ZIMBABWE

  GRACIOUS MAZIVANHANGA FROM ZIMBABWE 24-year-old Gracious Mazivanhanga from Zimbabwe has successfully provided solutions that benefit millions of lives in her country. Her three-tier education program impacted over a million students by providing school fees, mentorship, training, stationeries, and meal packs. 1,000 students were equipped with essential soft skills through her student Leadership Project. She spearheaded a Menstrual Health Awareness program for high school girls where 1,000 girls received reusable pads and training on how to make them and taking care of their health. Gracious also organized a school shoe drive for Students in her communities. She affected over one million residents in several communities through a short video documentary she produced. As a team leader at Heart for the Nations Trust, she organized monthly food-and-clothes drives for orphanages, reaching over 2,000 orphans and homeless people. She initiated a prisoner's rehabilitation program that aided over 4,000 prisoners. Gracious' Feed-a-Million Initiative provided financial scholarships to 10 students, equipped over 500 students with soft skills in student leadership, organized soup kitchens for the homeless, and donated essentials to many schools and orphanages. Also, she coordinated a medical outreach for Domboshava in partnership with Doctors and Nurses on a Mission in Zimbabwe, offering free medical check-ups, medication, physiotherapy, cancer screening, and dental services to over 500 people. We applaud Gracious’ relentless innovativeness and commitment to nation-building.

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  HIDAYA BENOUDA TLEMÇANI FROM MOROCCO

  HIDAYA BENOUDA TLEMÇANI FROM MOROCCO 19-year-old Hidaya Tlemçani from Morocco is driven to make her world a better place. She works to empower kids in public speaking, leadership, and communication. As a result, she was invited to work at Al-Basma Camp for children with diabetes in the United Arab Emirates, which sensitized her to the needs of affected children in the Middle East and North Africa Region. Collaborating with other young leaders she founded Diabetes Initiative, an awareness campaign that runs online and offline. In collaboration with Ibn Al-Khatib Hospital, her team offered free one-on-one diabetes consultations for 200 children from low-income families. She has inspired over 500 students in her school to volunteer and implement change in their communities through several events, workshops, and seminars. She is a manager at the 'Educate to Empower Project', a multidimensional project on girl-child education in rural areas. She also serves as the head of the PR & Marketing team in the World Youth Leaders Organization, which has members from 11 countries across 3 continents, where she has guided 40 young leaders to implement their community projects. Thank you, Hidaya, for your commitment to growth and development in your country and Africa.

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  PORTIA MANYAYA FROM GHANA

  PORTIA MANYAYA FROM GHANA Portia Manyaya from Ghana is an inspirational young leader with a zeal for humanitarian work and youth development. She has improved lives through nutrition, medical outreaches, skill acquisition, career guidance, coaching, and mentorship. 'Success on Purpose' is a skills acquisition and advocacy campaign for schools with over 3,000 beneficiaries recorded. An additional 5,000 benefitted from her youth empowerment summit. She campaigned against the superstitious practice of abandoning malnourished children by educating parents, engaging stakeholders, and managing over 4,000 children who have been nursed back to health. Through her menstrual hygiene campaign, over 1,500 girls learned to make reusable sanitary pads and gained access to materials through the hygiene banks created. The 'Back to Focus' campaign for adolescent mothers impacted 80 girls from two districts. Portia also had medical outreaches in two locations that benefitted more than 600 people and her medical campaigns have led to the fumigation of the Lingbenga River, which helped reduce the rate of river blindness in the community. Her recent breast cancer awareness and screening campaign reached over 1,400 women and girls. We applaud Portia's innovativeness and commitment to nation-building.

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  PRINCESS MAYAMIKO ZULU FROM ZAMBIA

  PRINCESS MAYAMIKO ZULU FROM ZAMBIA 20-year-old Princess Mayamiko Zulu from Zambia is an avid youth leader determined to alleviate the plight of the needy in her community and beyond. The Founder of Build Africa Initiative tackles societal challenges by developing campaigns and initiatives aimed at eradicating core issues. The 'Loving the Forgotten' Project impacted over 10,000 people in 500+ households across multiple communities with the provision of chlorine, reusable sanitary pads, bathing dishes, nappies, and new blankets. 400 children with special needs benefited from her Humming Bird Project’s free surgeries, wheelchairs, beds, and foodstuff. Her team developed the ‘Help a Family In Dire Need’ project and raised funds and provisions for families affected by heavy rainfalls in Zambia. She also distributed maize and soya beans to communities, reaching over 10,000 households. She trained 321 young leaders and entrepreneurs from Zambia through her Leadership Academy. Her zeal for educational excellence triggered 'The Build Africa Academy' Project in 64 universities and 12 colleges through which she effectively engaged 30 young students in carrying out 500 projects in 150 African communities. Furthermore, she constructed four blocks of classrooms worth 6,000 USD for street children. She organized skills acquisition programs to empower women from the slums, training over 1,600 women in various vocations and helped some of them with start-up funding. Her Widows and Youth Empowerment Project helped 1,000 people become farmers. Ginger seeds were provided to about 150 widows and Maya facilitated the set-up of poultry businesses for 150 young people. Her NGO empowered 300 street children with a car wash business and sponsored 30 orphans to study at a nursing school. We applaud her selfless service to humanity and commitment to nation-building.

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  VICTOR EYO FROM NIGERIA

  VICTOR EYO FROM NIGERIA 19-year-old Victor Eyo from Nigeria is a visionary who is making a huge impact in Africa. His work on digital literacy and STEM advocacy has benefited more than 500,000 youths and garnered attention from notable international organizations. He educated more than 900,000 youths with marketable tech skills, organized 33 mentorship projects (that yielded tech solutions in waste management, health, hygiene, and entrepreneurship), conducted a digital tour of schools in Nigeria and South Africa that touched 40,000+ students, and hosted digital workshops for more than 1,000 deaf and dumb persons. He created Digi-learn, a study app with inbuilt libraries from four countries. The app has a version for the deaf and dumb. In partnership with a neuro-rehabilitation center, he created software that enhances better learning for kids with neurological disorders. He also organized tech training for 500+ young people with sickle cell. Victor organized workshops for more than 10,000 underprivileged youths in local communities. Some workshops such as 'Teen Girls and Tech' and 'Girls Can Code', specifically targeted girls, to bridge the gender gap in the STEM world. He has organized and volunteered in several boot camps where he trained over 5,000 youths and children on social media management, content development, coding, and animation, redefining the narrative and the use of social media for the African child. Victor’s impact and contribution to nation-building are indeed commendable.

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  GRACE LEKWUWA FROM BENIN REPUBLIC

  GRACE LEKWUWA FROM BENIN REPUBLIC 21-year-old Grace Lekwuwa from the Republic of Benin is a humanitarian and women empowerment activist passionate about building and equipping young girls. She authored the book 'SHE' for young female leaders, and is currently on a project to impact 100,000 young girls in Africa with this material. She worked with JEDD to reach and train 23,100 young girls from all seventy-seven communities of the Benin Republic in various skills including graphic design, video editing, bead-making, decorations, and cooking. She also held youth empowerment programs in various schools and institutions, impacting over 4000 young people. Her work to improve agriculture includes radio campaigns on seed preservation, and she initiated the Bio-Africa Project in partnership with local farmers to focus on the creation of a seed bank to preserve indigenous agriculture. Grace has helped more than 1,000 vulnerable families in several communities by organizing food drives. Likewise, she raised 40,000 dollars to construct boreholes in twenty-five communities, providing potable water to over 20,000 people. Her team also put up streetlights in the village of 'Dra', thus creating a safer environment for residents. Indeed, Grace LEKWUWA is an inspiring and commendable African leader.