The passing of Innocent Chukwuma did not put an end to the efforts that he had invested and contributed to the development and empowerment of young people in Nigeria and Africa. His legacies outlive him and many more young people are still being impacted by the contributions he had made. In 2023, the Innocent Chukwuma Social Impact Chair and Fellowship (ICSICF); a legacy project of the Innocent Chukwuemeka Chukwuma Empowerment Foundation (ICCEF) hosted by the Lagos Business School strengthened the capacity of 20 young Nigerians who are making social impact in their various fields. These young people underwent a series of lecturing, mentoring and grooming for 3 months. The training cut across different life skills and topics in leadership, project management, and organisational management.

To wrap up this rigorous, upskilling and empowering programme, the 20 young people put together a conference hosted by the Lagos Business School with support from the Ford Foundation. ICCEF as the clearinghouse for all legacy projects also provided support for the success of this programme.  The Social Impact Conference, held on September 9th, 2023, at Lagos Business School in Ajah Lekki, Lagos State, Nigeria, with the theme “Diversity and Inclusion: Advancing Social Impact in Nigeria.” was a remarkable and strategic event necessary for a time like this in Nigeria prompt young people to make social impact in their various sphere of contact and in a  developing world to think about diversity and inclusion in achieving goal and the kind of change and development that they would want to see.

The conference which was packed with impactful speakers and social innovators had the Wife and Executive Chair of ICCEF Mrs Josephine Effah-Chukwuma giving the opening remark. Dr Silk Ogbu, Associate Professor, LBS and Academic Director, ICSIF gave the welcome speech. The keynote Speaker Mrs Josephine Nzerem Director, Venture, Talent, and Fellowship, Ashoka Africa delivered an inspiring keynote address on “Ennobling the Role of Youth in Advancing Social Justice for Africa’s Sustainable Development.” Mr Femi Taiwo a youth development expert, engaged the audience with his talk on “How to Leverage Social Innovation to Transform Nigeria.”

The conference also engaged its youthful audience with two interactive panel sessions. The first session which focussed on the theme of the conference had the likes of Kelechi, Neya Hannah, Crystal, Oyebisi Oluseyi, and Josephine Nzembe.

The second panel session had some of the graduating fellows share their experiences and their passion for social change and inclusion.

The conference was mind-blowing, inspiring and thought-provoking. Some key highlights and quotes that we have pinned are;

• “Everyone is Included, No one is left behind” which means that when you look at your ideas, you should look at your target audience, stakeholders, your network and the network effect you are creating. – Josephine Nzembe
• “To raise a young generation of innovators, we must be willing to invest in the right educational institutions that would create this people across all levels.” – Femi Taiwo
• “Every voice should be heard”. Everyone needs to be heard, their opinions, ideas, and complaints, should be taken into consideration because every human being matters irrespective of gender, race, disabilities and differences.
• “Ideas can take us far but Innovation can take us farther”
• The Climax of the conference was the presentation of certificates of completion to the Fellows. A win for ICCEF is that the fellows will become ICCEF mentors. Indeed, it was a colourful event. Our appreciation goes to the Ford Foundation, the Board of ICCEF, the Family of Innocent Chukwuma, Lagos Business School, the Lagos Business School Sustainability Centre, the fellows and all the participants of the conference.