The Mary Ojulari Foundation has empowered 21 young entrepreneurs in Nigeria with a total investment grant of $105,000 to scale their businesses and drive community impact. This initiative, unveiled during the foundation’s inaugural Vanguard Fellowship Awards & Networking Cocktail, took place on April 15, 2025, at the Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History in Lagos Island.
The selected beneficiaries, made up of 18 women and 3 men, emerged from a pool of 50 participants who completed a rigorous two-week Ignite Bootcamp. These finalists were chosen from an initial 500 applicants and received a $5,000 grant each to grow their ventures across various sectors including agriculture, fashion, technology, catering, and sustainable products.
Speaking at the event, founder Mary Ojulari emphasized that the grant aligns with the foundation’s mission to foster grassroots development through innovation, collaboration, and empowerment. She explained that the foundation’s commitment stems from her personal journey, including her experience sponsoring 25 children through different levels of education. According to her, these encounters exposed her to the urgent needs of young Nigerians who aspire to build successful businesses but lack adequate support.
Ojulari credited the success of the initiative to generous support from anonymous corporate and individual donors and acknowledged partnerships with organizations like SMEDAN. She highlighted the intensive nature of the bootcamp, which covered a broad curriculum ranging from entrepreneurial mindset and finance to branding and leadership. “We mentor young people and women, offer business advice, and provide funding. What we’re doing is building leaders and innovators at the grassroots,” she said.
Guest speaker at the event, Dr. Cosmas Maduka, President and CEO of Coscharis Group, urged the beneficiaries to remain focused and committed to their dreams. Drawing from his personal journey from poverty to business success, he encouraged the fellows to develop a resilient mindset and emphasized action over mere ambition. “You may be first in class, but success in life requires more than grades. It requires belief, discipline, and execution,” he advised.
While recognizing the socio-economic challenges in Nigeria, Maduka encouraged the young entrepreneurs to maintain a positive outlook. He described Nigeria as a land of untapped opportunities and charged the fellows to contribute meaningfully to its development despite the odds.
The event marked the foundation’s first edition of the Vanguard Fellowship Awards, a platform aimed at nurturing a new generation of change-makers equipped with the knowledge, mentorship, and resources to make a lasting difference in their communities.
