Muazu Africa Host Social Enterprise World Forum in Nigeria, Launch Rural Inclusion Fund, and Send 40 Indigent Youths to College
Muazu Africa, led by Tolulope Makinwa, hosted the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) Community Hub in Lagos under the theme “Strengthening Rural Enterprises Across Africa’s Value Chains.”
The hub, co-hosted by Xchange Box Solutions, spotlighted the contributions of rural innovators and their role in Africa’s $2 trillion social and solidarity economy.
The Lagos Hub explored a pressing question: “When a rural enterprise succeeds, does its community prosper too?”a theme that underscored the disconnect between rural innovation and national inclusion frameworks.
Held concurrently with SEWF 2025 in Taipei, Taiwan, the Lagos Hub convened ecosystem leaders, funders, policymakers, and rural innovators to discuss pathways for visibility, policy recognition, and catalytic financing for rural social enterprises.
Key speakers included Moyo Odejide, Stakeholder Engagement Lead at Xchange Box; Seyi Tytler, Founder of Emerging Communities Africa; and Tolulope Makinwa, Executive Director of Muazu Africa.
Their discussions centered on how infrastructure, access, and enterprise inclusion can drive shared prosperity and economic resilience across rural communities.
During the event, Muazu Africa unveiled its forthcoming “Rural Deficit Report,” a policy paper mapping how rural social enterprises power Africa’s value chains but remain undercounted and underfunded. The organization also announced plans to establish a Rural Inclusion Fund, a catalytic financing mechanism aimed at channeling investment into last-mile economies.
Preliminary findings from the Rural Deficit Report reveal that while more than 443,000 social enterprises operate in Nigeria, 46% are concentrated in urban centers such as Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Rivers State. Rural enterprises, critical drivers of agriculture, renewable energy, and small-scale manufacturing, remain largely undocumented and underfunded.
Expected for release in 2026, the report aims to establish a framework for policy inclusion, equitable financing, and enterprise recognition. Insights from the report will inform the creation of the Rural Inclusion Fund, designed to pool catalytic capital from development partners and private investors to strengthen innovation and market access for rural entrepreneurs.
As part of its broader inclusion mission, Muazu Africa, in partnership with the Make Mee Elegant Foundation (MMEF), also announced full-tuition scholarships for 40 indigent youths to study at the College of Health Management and Technology, Ibadan.
The initiative directly addresses the “rural deficit” by improving access to education, one of the most critical levers of inclusion and social mobility.
“If we’re serious about changing the rural story, education and infrastructure must come first,” said Tolulope Makinwa. “That’s how you disrupt systems that keep people invisible.”
The 2025 SEWF Lagos Hub was supported by ecosystem partners including Herlign Wellness Studio, and featured participation from community-based social enterprises and policy contributors from Nigeria, Uganda, and Egypt.
Reflecting on the impact of the event, Makinwa added:
“For too long, rural social enterprises have powered Africa’s value chains without visibility. The Rural Deficit Report and the Inclusion Fund are our way of ensuring that those who create value also share in the prosperity it generates.”
About Muazu Africa
Muazu Africa is an ecosystem-building organization advancing inclusive growth through social enterprise. Its mission is to connect high-potential but under-resourced social enterprises to capital, markets, enabling policies, and communities—with a vision to mainstream social enterprise within Africa’s economic systems.
