Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji

Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji (born Oluwatoyosi Akerele, 8 November 1983) is a Nigerian social entrepreneur and human development expert whose work cuts across entrepreneurship, education, youth development and public leadership. She is the founder and chief executive officer of Rise Networks, a Nigeria-based private and public sector funded Youth Interest social enterprise.
Early life and education.
Akerele-Ogunsiji was born to the family of James Ayodele and Felicia Mopelola Akerele in Lagos State, Nigeria. She attended Ebun Oluwa Nursery and Primary School, Oregun Lagos from where she headed to Lagos State Model College Kankon Badagry, Lagos for her Junior Secondary Education from 1994 to 1996 before proceeding to Egbado College (now Yewa College) from 1998 till June 2000 for her Senior Secondary Education where she graduated as the best Student in the Essay Competition organised by the Aionian Group of Schools in Ogun State. She obtained a Second Class Upper Degree in Civil Law from the University of Jos in April 2007. Akerele-Ogunsiji is A Mason Fellow and Mid Career Master in Public Administration alumnus of the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.
She studied Strategic Management at Executive Level at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School, obtained a Certificate in Youth Inclusive Financial Services from University of New Hampshire, Durham, United States, holds a Certificate in Media Enterprise from the School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University and an Executive Masters’ Certificate in Project Management from The Project Management College, UK. She has also studied Digital Marketing Strategy at the UK Institute of Digital Marketing.
Professional career.
Akerele-Ogunsiji started her career in 2007 as a Corporate Communications and External Affairs Executive at Oando Oil and Gas PLC. She moved on to the Ministry of Youths and Social Development, Ogun State, Nigeria where she was the Special Assistant to the Honourable Commissioner on Youth Development before going on to establish Rise Human And Education Development Networks, an organisation that focuses on creating intellectual development and capacity building programs for young Nigerians between 16 and 30.
Akerele-Ogunsiji founded Passnownow in 2012 with the aim of helping indigent and deprived secondary school children to access and use Curriculum Compliant Education Content, from the comfort of Mobile Devices. She also founded, Printmagicng, a Printing firm that delivers 24 hours Printing Service at low cost to Small Businesses via the Internet.
in 2017, Akerele-Ogunsiji led international students of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to a one-week Public Sector and Innovation Field Trip in, Lagos, Nigeria. The trip was described as providing "a veritable platform for Engagement for Harvard Students and Faculty to learn more about Urban Development and Innovation, Economic Competitiveness, Democratic Governance and emerging Trends in the Public Policies of Lagos and Nigeria."
Family.
In 2014, she married Adekunle Ogunsiji, an ICT professional, in a low key wedding at her family house in Ikeja, Lagos.
Publications.
Akerele-Ogunsiji had several papers and publications on leadership, youth and business development, including authoring:
Her writings and interviews have been published in "The Nation", the "Nigerian Guardian", "The Punch" and "This Day" newspapers.
Awards, appointments and recognition.
She has delivered Papers and presentations as well as led focused group discussions at the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Women in Management, Business and Public Sector, Youth Africamp organized annually by Open Society Institute of East Africa, Women of West African Entrepreneurship, Africa Wide Consultation on Post 2015 Development Agenda and Expert Group Meeting, and the United Nations Media Workshop on Africa Governance Report.
Akerele-Ogunsiji was in June 2011 described by Michelle Obama, then First Lady of the United States, as one of her personal inspirations in a televised address to America as a prelude to her arrival in Africa for the Young African Women Leaders Forum of which Akerele-Ogunsiji remains the only Nigerian member to date. In 2014, Forbes named Akerele-Ogunsiji as one of the 20 most Powerful Young Women in Africa. In the same year, she was also nominated for the MTV Africa Music Awards.