The Karim Adeyemi Foundation has brought together young innovators, creatives, changemakers, students, social-impact organisations and community leaders in Ibadan for the second edition of its Ecologue initiative, with a focus on using partnerships to develop practical solutions to community challenges in Oyo state.
The 2026 edition of the programme, held on Friday, August 14, was themed “Ecosystems in Action: Driving Local Impact through Youth Partnerships.”
The initiative was designed to bridge the gap between the technology and digital ecosystem and the social-impact sector by creating a platform where young people and stakeholders from different fields could connect, exchange ideas and develop solutions to challenges confronting their communities.
Speaking on behalf of the President of the foundation, Abiodun Adeyemi, the Executive Secretary of the Karim Adeyemi Foundation, Aanu Oluyide, said the initiative was focused on creating sustainable partnerships that would continue beyond the event.
Oluyide said the programme was also in line with the objectives of International Youth Day, stressing the importance of creating opportunities for young people to collaborate, innovate and contribute to community development.
She said while the technology ecosystem was driving innovation and the social-impact sector was addressing community problems, both sectors often operated independently.
According to her, Ecologue 2.0 was created to bring the two ecosystems together and encourage collaboration among innovators, changemakers, youths, students and community leaders.
Oluyide said the foundation would monitor the partnerships and connections established through the programme, particularly during a planned 90-day post-event follow-up.
She said the follow-up would enable the foundation to assess the progress of participants and partnerships while identifying areas where additional support could be provided.
According to her, Ecologue was not designed as a one-off project but as an initiative that would continue to evolve through subsequent editions.
“From Ecologue 2.0, from Ecologue 1.0, the number one thing is sustained connection, sustained partnership,” she said.
Oluyide added that the initiative was also aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, with the organisers seeking to localise global development priorities and apply them to challenges affecting communities.
Also speaking, Ayo Adams, Lead Creator at Ayo Adams Studio and one of the partners, said the growth of Ecologue from its first edition demonstrated the increasing need for platforms that connect young people and communities.
Adams said the programme was gradually moving beyond an event to become a community where young people could collaborate and turn ideas into practical solutions.
He called for increased involvement from government, corporate organisations and other stakeholders, saying their support would be crucial to achieving the objectives of youth-focused initiatives.
“We want the impact of this project to reach different parts of Nigeria and beyond, to shape the lives of the youths that are involved,” he said.
In his remarks, Ibrahim Oredola, Co-founder of SKILLNG and another partner of the initiative, expressed optimism about the potential of the programme to create opportunities for young people through collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
Oredola said the initiative provided participants with an opportunity to learn how systems could be developed and how ideas could be transformed into practical solutions.
He noted that the programme had attracted people from different backgrounds, including students, researchers and other young people interested in developing solutions to real-world challenges.
According to him, the experience had strengthened his belief in the importance of working together to develop initiatives that could benefit young people.
Oredola expressed satisfaction with the feedback and achievements recorded through the initiative, saying the collaboration among the partners had demonstrated what could be achieved when different stakeholders worked together.
A major feature of Ecologue 2.0 was the Creators Pitch, which provided young people in Ibadan with an opportunity to present practical ideas aimed at solving problems within their communities.
The pitch was designed to encourage youths with innovative and community-focused ideas to move beyond identifying challenges and develop partnership-driven solutions capable of producing tangible impact.
One participant is expected to receive the Creator’s Reward for an idea considered capable of addressing a real community challenge.
