Sahara Group, a prominent international energy conglomerate, has reiterated its dedication to fostering sustainable development and enhancing human capacity in Africa through its Making A Difference (MAD) Grant. This initiative focuses on advancing research by providing awards to visionary academics.
Building on the success of its inaugural edition at the University of Lagos (UNILA) in 2024, the 2025 grant cycle has awarded three transformative projects tackling youth unemployment, digital inclusion, and institutional governance. Each awardee receives $12,000 in funding to scale their impactful work.
“The MAD Grant represents our sustained commitment to identifying and amplifying sustainable solutions that drive economic growth and development,” said Bethel Obioma, Sahara Group’s Head of Corporate Communications. “This second edition allows us to deepen our support for academic innovators whose work has demonstrated clear potential for systemic impact.”
Commending Sahara for sustaining the initiative, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, said: “The Sahara Group MAD Grant has been a catalytic force for innovation at UNILAG. It is a testament to the power of strategic partnership in advancing our university’s mission to develop leaders and solutions for the nation and beyond.”
The 2025 MAD Grant awardees, Professor Sunday Abayomi Adebisi, Dr. Victor Odumuyiwa, and Professor Abdul-Hameed Sulaimon will leverage the $12,000 award to expand proven models that translate academic excellence into socioeconomic progress.
Professor Sunday Adebisi, a pioneering force in entrepreneurship education, is scaling his groundbreaking Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Business Certification (EIBIC) program, which has already guided over 20,000 students to identify and launch ventures within their fields. “The $12,000 MAD Grant provides critical resources to accelerate our mission of turning every student into a job creator,” said Professor Adebisi.
Dr. Victor Odumuyiwa is amplifying his work in digital skills mentorship and technology ecosystem building at the NITDA IT Hub (NITHUB), where he has already trained over 20,000 individuals in fields like artificial intelligence. “Strategic funding like the MAD Grant is essential for sustaining the momentum of our digital transformation efforts,” noted Dr. Odumuyiwa.
Professor Abdul-Hameed Sulaimon’s grant will enhance his faculty administration re-engineering initiative, which has improved operational efficiency and academic performance while mobilizing significant resources for the Faculty of Management Sciences. “The MAD Grant provides crucial validation and practical support for our governance improvement efforts,” said Professor Sulaimon.
Ejiro Gray, Director of Governance and Sustainability at Sahara Group, emphasized the strategic alignment of these projects: “Our selection process for this second edition focused on projects with measurable outcomes and scalability. Each $12,000 award represents an investment in sustainable systems, whether creating entrepreneurs, developing digital talent, or strengthening institutional frameworks.”
The success of these model initiatives at UNILAG has laid a foundation for broader impact. Sahara Group plans to replicate the MAD Grant support across Africa, partnering with additional universities and institutions to scale similar programs in entrepreneurship, digital transformation, and governance reform. This expansion aims to create a continent-wide network of academic hubs driving sustainable development through education and innovation
