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 using an AI-driven learning assistant.
- Most Viable Idea: Aderonke Salami, Clean Unity — connecting communities to local cleaners via a gig-based platform.
“These aren’t just good ideas,” said Mercy Akamo, Convener of TEDxLagos and Executive Director of YIA. “They’re scalable solutions grounded in real problems, and our goal is to empower young people who are not waiting for permission to lead.”
So, what did we learn from mentoring these 19 young innovators?
1. Talent isn’t the problem — exposure is. Many participants came in with robust ideas but lacked access to the kind of structured feedback, investor-readiness training, and product storytelling strategies that can turn potential into progress.
2. Tech is table stakes, but storytelling is the differentiator. Whether building in AI, fintech, or social enterprise, those who could clearly articulate their “why” and translate it into a relatable narrative stood out.
3. Local problems need local lenses. The most compelling ideas weren’t imported—they were grounded in lived experience: food insecurity, education gaps, informal labor. These founders are solving the problems they’ve witnessed firsthand.
4. Community is a catalyst. Beyond tools and templates, what truly moved the needle was peer learning—watching founders refine each other’s pitches, build confidence, and collaborate across borders.
Participants were mentored by a cross-disciplinary faculty of global leaders, including:
- Daniel Cerventus (TEDxKL, NextUpAsia)
- Mercy Akamo (TEDxLagos, Kijana)
- Gabriella Uwadiegwu (Archangel Fund, Wetech)
- Florentina Niradewi (Learning Capital)
- Femi Taiwo (INITS)
- Seyi Akamo (TUROG Technologies)
- Rose Umane (Meta)
- Chiaka Unegbu (SabiTeach)
- Lani Aisida (Netflix’s Ololade, African Stories Untold)
The YIA Accelerator drew expertise from fintech, climate finance, software engineering, AI, storytelling, digital strategy, and impact investing—providing practical guidance on how to pitch, prototype, validate, and scale.
At its core, YIA is a reflection of what’s possible when African youth are given the right ecosystem to thrive. Backed by Kijana, a platform dedicated to accelerating youth-led innovation, the program doesn’t just ask what if—it answers what next.
Source: techcabal.com
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