Senior Editor
Nigerian tech entrepreneur Taiwo ‘Ati’ Afolayan who is very passionate about education and empowerment for young people recently trained over 500 youths on Digital Marketing for Personal Branding; through Argitech Academy on Skills4Youth training.
Taiwo has been involved in several youth focused projects with NairaBet, NGHub by Facebook, Acada Magazine, Agent of Change, Almaroof Media Network, Adekaz Productions, Kunle Afolayan Production, Shola Animashaun Photography, The Federal Polytechnic Ede, University of Lagos, The Fashionistar Magazine, Kidbird Publishers, Oloba Maroof Afolayan Initiative, UNITE 2030, African Youth Union Commission, Young African Leaders Initiative, World Literacy Foundation and Global Goodwill Ambassador.
Taiwo also tutored more than 400 Government Secondary Students on Information Communication Technology (ICT) through Volunteer Teacher’s Club and Volunteers Edge ; in partnership with Agent of Change on “DIGITALIZE THE GETTO” empowering more than 50 youths on Graphic Design and also to support leadership in the various communities in Nigeria.
The zealous tech entrepreneur focuses on the subjects of entrepreneurship, self-development and have a powerful enthusiasm for empowerment among young people.
He is the Founder of Volunteers Edge for volunteering and initiated Skills4Youth towards achieving United Nations Global Goals on SDG 11 & SDG 4 in Nigeria and beyond. He’s also a member of Volunteer Teacher’s Club for volunteer teaching, skills2school session and helping renovate structurally defected schools which won “Community Champion” Award during the 2020 PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Annual General Meeting (AGM) Nigeria.
Taiwo is also an MTN Foundation Influencer on Anti-Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) contributing to the significant reduction in the rate of first time users of addictive substances and drugs amongst Nigerian youths. Through these experiences, he developed strong project coordination and implementation skills. He’s nominated for the 2019 Entrepreneur Africa Prize for Youth Empowerment.
Taiwo recently funded the repair and beautification of his alma mater, King Ado Senior High School, where he was also inaugurated as a member of the School-based Management Committee (SBMC), Lagos – Island District. This action was inspired by the approach of an ex-student who told him about the need to renovate the school during his visit to the school for his original West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate collection.
Taiwo met with the sitting principal, Mrs. Akinleye on the project he can embark on with a low bugdet and it was carried out.
Previously, Taiwo was the founder of the Volunteers Edge Initiative, a member of the World Literacy Foundation Ambassador, the Netherlands Education Group Youth Ambassador, the Volunteer Teachers’ Club and Director of Partnerships at UNITE 2030 Lagos Chapter, Community Development Manager at the Oloba Maroof Afolayan (OMA) Initiative and Global Goodwill Ambassador for leadership, expertise and entrepreneurship.
To break the Covid-19 infection chain, he became an MBRU Community Immunity Ambassador, responsible for protecting himself and his community from Covid-19. During the quarantine exercise, he assisted over 100 people, the needy in his community, with a proven record of monetary value worth of Four Hundred Thousand Naira (N400,000) using bank mobile app with a minimum of N500 airtime and a maximum cash transfer of N10,000.
As the Lagos State Coordinator for African Youth Union Commission (AYUC), we embarked on sensitization targeting Tejuosho Shopping Mall where we shared our knowledge with Lagosians on taking full responsibility, explained the importance of wearing face masks and how to prevent themselves from Covid-19 (CoronaVirus Disease 2019).
A hundred pieces of Face masks were given out to their customers entering the centre as a way of encouraging people to always wear their face masks because the Coronavirus is real.
Taiwo has recently become a Certified Management Consultant and a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants. He also won the “Humanitarian of The Year” award at the 2020 Prestigious Online Presence Awards (POPA Awards) and “Distinguished Director of the Year” at the 2020 International Education Summit & Awards .
Also, he took a stand against rape by raising his voice and educating Lagosians on the importance of mutual consent in sexual relationships. Through his effort, he sought to spread awareness of the issue and encourage individuals to “SAY NO TO RAPE”. He firmly believes that education and understanding are essential in preventing and combating this heinous crime.
Taiwo believes Nigerians should play impact roles in youths development regardless of what the government has done, and also contribute no matter how small, to the development of the country.
Taiwo is a Nigerian and a proud African!
