•Celebrates Nigeria’s leading changemakers

By Alade Aromashodu

A non-governmental organisation, The Luminary Project, has announced impact funding support of ₦6 million for selected changemakers to reinforce its mission to move beyond recognition into tangible empowerment and long-term support for social innovators.

The Luminary Project is dedicated to identifying, amplifying, and supporting changemakers creating meaningful social impact across Nigeria.

It held its 3rd edition of the Luminary Awards, which brought together changemakers at Victoria Island, Lagos, which served as a powerful gathering to recognize and celebrate The Luminary Project’s top 10 changemakers creating meaningful change across sectors including education, health, community development, youth empowerment, sustainability, innovation, and social enterprise.

Speaking during the event, ‘Napa Onwusah, Executive Director of The Luminary Project, emphasized the importance of recognising individuals who are solving real problems and creating sustainable impact within their communities.

“The Luminary Project exists because Nigeria’s most credible changemakers are rarely the most visible ones. Every year, through our rigorous selection process, we find social impact leaders across the nation who have been building sustainable developmental work with little to no access to funds and government intervention. The Luminary Awards is our most public act of saying: we see you, we have verified your work, and we are committed to helping you scale it. But recognition is only the beginning. Through our Fellowship, our Impact Funds, and tools like LegitGood, our impact operating system, we are building the infrastructure that turns individual acts of service into sustainable institutions.

The ceremony featured inspiring stories of resilience, leadership, and transformation from changemakers, whose work continues to impact lives and communities despite systemic challenges. Guests experienced an atmosphere of reflection, celebration, connection, and renewed commitment to nation-building through collaborative action and intentional service.

Attended by notable social impact enthusiasts including Funmilola Akinteye, GTM Manager MTN, Ebere Nkoro, Snr. Partner Success Manager, AWS, and Eliezer Ajah, Head of Job Creation & Placement, 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT), development partners, ecosystem leaders, creatives, and media representatives, their presence further reinforced the growing commitment toward community-driven transformation in Nigeria.

Award recipients represented a diverse range of initiatives addressing critical societal issues and advancing solutions aligned with sustainable development and community progress.