What we learned from mentoring Africa’s top 19 innovators: Insights from the 2025 YIA Accelerator by TEDxLagos and Kijana
The 2025 cohort of the Young Innovators Accelerator (YIA)—an initiative by TEDxLagos and accelerated by Kijana—has concluded, shining a spotlight on 19 of the most promising entrepreneurs from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa.
The program, designed to nurture scalable innovation and catalyze impact, immersed participants in a six-week intensive accelerator experience focused on mentorship, collaboration, and execution.
What emerged was not just three standout ventures, but 19 clear indicators of Africa’s bold future.
Most Innovative Business: Chimezie Martins, Darwin Foods — leveraging sustainable farming to tackle food insecurity.
Most Impactful Business/Idea: Opeyemi Muyiwa-Dada, Florence AI — democratizing STEM education in schools usi...