Praise Ogunleke

Change Agent, Explorer, Idea generator, Project manager, Student

Praise Ogunleke is a medical student at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria, with a bold vision to empower youths with relevant knowledge and skills across the African continent. He has 3 years of experience working on community development projects to create sustainable impact in hard-to-reach communities. Praise has helped more than 5000 youths in Africa to upskill and ultimately prepare them for the future of work. He is an ardent lover of the SDGs and is currently the Country Ambassador for The Development School, Africa, where he is equipping youths in Africa with the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development through education. He has shared ideas on the power of storytelling to create sustainable impact at the Maendeleo Fellowship of Evolufy Africa, and DigiShapers where he explored the power of the internet for creating meaningful change. He is the convener of a public speaking and communications programme themed SPEAK LIKE A DON which is a yearly 7-day training wholly focused on promoting the intrinsic power of oratory, leadership and innovative abilities which are requisite skills to inspire positive change and transformation within a society. He is the Co-convener of The CONGRESS NG, which is a yearly convergence of Nigerian compatriots for conversations on matters of common interest towards the development of Nigeria. Based on these efforts, he was awarded a prestigious leadership award which was for the top ten students creating impact in his school. He was one of the ten awardees (of 168 entries) in a school of over 30,000 students. He is also a 2021 Millennium Fellow (where he doubled as the Campus Director) and a Fellow of Clinton Global Initiative University. He loves to meet people and travel during his free time.

Education, Leadership, Equality and Community. I believe strongly that talent is universal but opportunity is not; hence, my interest in organizing events to impart youths with relevant skills and knowledge to spark a change in underserved communities. I want to raise leaders to build an Africa of equal opportunity where resources are made available to everyone regardless of their age, ethnicity, gender, color or disability status.

The art of digital storytelling to create sustainable impact in underserved communities

Event Planning, Project Management, Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation

My TED story dates back to my teenage years when I watched TED talks to boost my creativity and innovation prowess, and hone my presentation skills. I attended TEDxOluyole in 2022 and the impact drove me to co-organize the maiden edition of TEDxLAUTECH in my school. My favorite TED talks are ‘The Danger of a Single Story’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and ‘Finding Greatness in the Most Unlikely Places’ by Tunde Onakoya. These talks have taught me how perceptions affect people and places, and encouraged me to act locally to create global impact.

Arts. Poetry.