Leap Africa

Established in 2002, Leadership, Effectiveness, Accountability & Professionalism (LEAP) Africa is a youth-focused leadership development nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire, empower and equip a new cadre of leaders with skills and tools for personal, organizational, and community transformation. Its interventions on youth provide opportunities for effective leadership, education, employability, entrepreneurship, and awaken civic participation in citizens to demand good governance or creatively address social issues. This award to LEAP Africa creates the joint Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF) funded by the MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation. It focuses on supporting the youth leadership ecosystem in Nigeria that aims to build on the momentum gained from the youth-led #ENDSARS protests against police brutality in 2020. The NYFF convenes an “Imaginative Futures Working Group” at the national and state levels that give young people across the country opportunities to explore and discuss their vision for Nigeria. It also supports works with hubs and innovation centers as incubators of economic, civic, and social enterprises. The hub also serves as a repository of knowledge that documents the history of youth movements in Nigeria. The NYFF bridges the gaps between tech activists and grassroots organizers through dialogue and skills development. It also runs an initiative for young activists to engage in community mobilization and organizing, and equip them to take advantage of social and economic opportunities provided by governments and international agencies.