At ASEW, we believe that sustainable change is driven by bold ideas, locally rooted solutions, and people who dare to build a better future. The Sustaining Impact Prize is our way of honouring that spirit.
Each year, as part of the Sustaining Impact Summit (SIS), we recognize outstanding African-led initiatives creating scalable, self-sustaining solutions to some of the continent’s most pressing challenges. This year, we received an incredible number of applications — from grassroots innovators, community changemakers, and visionary entrepreneurs across the continent. After a rigorous screening process, we are thrilled to introduce 5 powerful finalists selected from the top 8 interviewed applicants.
These finalists have demonstrated excellence in sustainability, innovation, and commitment to long-term impact.
Meet the Top 5 Finalists for the 2025 Sustaining Impact Prize
1. Omoyemi Temitope Oladiran – El Plethora Vocational Academy (Nigeria): Empowering women and youth through vocational, digital, and entrepreneurial skills delivered via low-cost platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram. Their Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Initiative (ESDI) is building sustainable livelihoods and tackling unemployment, poverty, and gender inequality — one community at a time.
2. Anyanwu Glory Ifechi – Greenfarm Resources (Nigeria): Championing climate-smart agriculture for smallholder farmers in rural Nigeria, with a focus on women and youth. Through training, sustainable farming techniques, and inclusive systems, they are building climate resilience, food security, and economic empowerment from the ground up.
3. Oguguamobi Oyesiji – mobi Designs (Nigeria): Tackling textile waste through sustainable fashion and upcycling. From eco-friendly fashion to youth training programs, mobi Designs is embedding circularity into fashion consumption and creating income-generating opportunities while raising environmental awareness.
4. Tambe David Tipah – Centre for Phage Biology and Therapeutics (Nigeria): Nigeria’s first research center dedicated to phage-based solutions for sustainable agriculture and health. Their work in antimicrobial resistance and biological alternatives to agrochemicals is at the frontier of biotechnology and environmental conservation.
5. Christian Mwijage – ECOACT (Tanzania): Turning ocean plastics and packaging waste into sustainable plastic timber for furniture and construction. Their innovative, chemical-free technology not only combats marine pollution and deforestation but powers a circular economy that’s uniquely African and scalable.
What’s Next?
These 5 finalists will now move to the final stage of evaluation, where they’ll pitch live during the Sustaining Impact Summit 2025.
Only 3 will be crowned winners of this year’s Sustaining Impact Prize! The winners will walk away with:
1ST PRIZE: $500
- ASEW Fellowship
- Recognition & Visibility
- Access to Free ASEW Premium Trainings
- Mentorship Opportunities
2ND PRIZE: $300
- ASEW Fellowship
- Recognition & Visibility
- Mentorship Opportunities
3RD PRIZE: $200
- ASEW Fellowship
- Recognition & Visibility
- Mentorship Opportunities
Join us as we celebrate innovation, resilience, and sustainability — and witness the unveiling of the top 3 impact champions.
Date: The prize competition takes place virtually on Day 2 (Aug 29) of the summit.
Time: 10am
Location: Online (Zoom)
Register to attend: https://bit.ly/ASEWSIS7th
Come cheer them on, learn from their journeys, and be inspired to drive impact in your own way.