By Providence Ayanfeoluwa and Mercy Opara

The Obama Foundation has announced the Executive Director of Stanforte Edge and Founder of Project Enable Africa, Olusola Owonikoko, as part of its fifth cohort of Obama Scholars which is made up of 30 emerging leaders from around the world who will study at Columbia University or University of Chicago for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Owonikoko whose work at Project Enable Africa is bridging the gap between the demand and supply of talents with disabilities in the formal and informal sectors towards equitable access to economic opportunities, works at the intersection of inclusion, business and technology.

While his organization has provided training and support services to over 250 organizations to develop inclusive policies, practices, and programs, and trained over 5,000 young persons with disabilities in eight years, he is promoting disability diversity, equity, and inclusion in workplaces and legislation to enable people with disabilities to fully participate in employment and civic life.

In a statement, Chief Executive Officer of Obama Foundation, Valerie Jarrett, said that the Obama Scholars program provide students with the opportunity to give and gain insight into the work that fellow young leaders are driving in their communities, while speaking to the intersection of their efforts through collaboration.

He added that in line with the foundation’s vision to support the next generation of global leaders, the Obama foundation scholar’s program partners with the University of Chicago and Columbia to combine academic learning with one-of-a-kind experiences led by the Obama Foundation.

He pointed that the program aims to empower emerging leaders with a proven commitment to service with the tools they need to make their efforts more effective and impactful upon their return home.

Jarrett said: “We are eager to welcome the new cohort of Scholars to the foundation family–a network of change makers tirelessly working for a more equitable future.”

Meanwhile, at Columbia University, 12 Obama Scholars will complete a nine-month residency with Columbia World Projects, an initiative that mobilizes the university’s faculty and researchers to work with governments, nongovernmental organizations, businesses, and communities to create tangible solutions to real-world issues.

Also, this cohort will also participate in seminars, personal and professional development workshops, audited coursework, and other programming designed in consultation with the foundation.

However, the program is designed to inspire, empower, and connect emerging leaders with the tools they need to make their efforts more effective and impactful across their global communities.

Since its inception in 2018, the program has served 125 young leaders from 55 countries, to learn more about the 2022-2023 cohorts, the foundation said its website is available for further information.