41: The Journey continues.
Last year, as I turned 40, I couldn’t celebrate as I had hoped due to challenges faced by my organization, YouthhubAfrica. We received a qualified audit from a major donor earlier in the year, leading to the suspension of their funding. Our funding from this donor dropped from 800k in 2022 to 0 dollars in 2023. It was a difficult time, and I even considered throwing in the towel.
Despite this setback, I fought the audit conclusions and appealed to the highest level. Eventually, most of the issues raised were resolved amicably.
The experience taught us valuable lessons, particularly the realization that good intentions alone are not sufficient. I poured my frustrations into more work, travelling the world to seek new partners and conceptualising new projects with my team.
This challenge emphasized the importance of diversifying funding sources. As I turn 41 today, I’m proud to say that we are in a much stronger financial position than we were in 2023, although we are still a work in progress.
We also used this challenge as an opportunity for introspection. We tightened our policies, learned from our mistakes, trained staff, and strengthened our systems, making us more resilient and better equipped than we were before 2023.
As I sat for lunch today, at a Nigerian restaurant in Addis, opposite the African Union, a solitary lunch of Pounded yam and egusi soup. Some Nigerians walked in, we exchanged pleasantries and one of them was excited to recognize me and the work that YouthHubAfrica does. He says a friend of his won a full scholarship from one of the opportunities that we published and is currently in Norway. The news brought a smile to my lips, these are the kind of impact stories that make all the hard work that my team, from our little corner on Massenya Street in Abuja, count.
As I reflect on my years ahead, thanking God for the opportunities that I have been exposed to, I am poised to make the next two decades, my legacy phase, consolidating on the work I have led, improving policy and practice for young people in Nigeria and across the continent. My most ambitious dream is to build a youth village in Abuja, Nigeria.
A multi-purpose resort-like campus, with accommodation and training facilities, sporting, games and an opportunity to continuously support youth development across Africa. Initial estimates show it will cost us somewhere around 5 Million USD. We are starting at zero but we are determined and I am sure I will have a lot of progress to report over the next 5 years.
Immense thanks and gratitude to everyone who has been a part of my journey, offering support, finance, hot meals, constructive criticism and everything in between. I am a product of your combined help.
Ire ooo!
