The British Council has announced the recipients of the Study UK Alumni Awards 2021-22 in Nigeria at a prestigious ceremony held at Eko Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria. In total, 12 UK alumni in 4 categories were recognised for their outstanding achievements as business professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders, and for their contribution to strengthening ties between the UK and Nigeria.
Recipients were selected for the four award categories: Science and Sustainability Award, Culture and Creativity Award, Social Action Award, and Business and Innovation Award.
The prestigious international award celebrates UK higher education and the achievements of UK alumni all over the world. Now in its eighth year, the award received more than 1,500 applications from international UK alumni in more than 100 countries, representing more than 140 UK higher education institutions across the UK.
Science and Sustainability Award was presented to Sikiru Mohammed, a graduate of University of Leeds. Sikiru Mohammed is promoting engineering ethics in Nigeria and investing his time on STEM for youths to improve high school education narrative for a better tomorrow.
Culture and Creativity Award was presented to Gift Chidera Peters, a graduate of University of Portsmouth. Gift Chidera Peters is the founder of an online platform known as the CP Community that supports international students in the UK with the right information, resources and a vibrant student community to help them navigate life in the UK, settle and ace their studies. The CP Community currently boasts of over 11,000 student members from over 7 countries in Africa including Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, DRC etc.
The Social Action award was presented to Mariam Momodu, a graduate of University of Cambridge. Mariam Momodu is a commercial lawyer, academic and social entrepreneur. She is the founder of GetIn Education Consulting (GetIn), a social enterprise that democratizes access to education-related opportunities for African students. GetIn has a reach of over 20,000 students and has helped Africans access over $2.5 million in scholarships.
The Business and Innovation award was presented to Oluwafemi Adeola Adedipe, a graduate of the University of Southampton. Adedipe Oluwafemi is an entrepreneur focusing on financial access for underserved businesses across Nigeria’s informal sector. He is the Founder of StreetCred and Pistis Finserve. He is also the founder of the Pistis Sustainability Essay Competition as well as the Pistis Young Scholars Programme, a leadership development platform for high achieving students. His companies have collectively provided more than 1Billion Naira (approx. $2.5 million) in loans to more than 10,000 women traders, artisans, and street vendors across Nigeria, serving customers from 34 business locations.
Lucy Pearson, Country Director at the British Council in Nigeria, said: “The remarkable individuals we celebrated today have all taken their UK education as a starting point to excel in their chosen careers and shape the world around them. This year’s awards ceremony is testimony not only to the diversity of UK alumni and their endeavours, but also to the transformative impact of a UK education.
Nigeria is one of the many countries hosting the awards this year, with awarding ceremonies in a further 23 countries, including India, Armenia and Qatar.
About the Study UK Alumni Awards
The Alumni Awards were developed by the British Council and UK universities and were launched by the British Council in September 2014. They are open to alumni currently residing in any country outside the UK, who have studied in the UK, at an officially recognised provider of UK university degree level study for a minimum of a term or semester, or who have been awarded a full UK degree level qualification (or higher), by a UK university, within the last 15 years.
Award winners and finalists are leaders in their fields who have used their experience of studying at a UK university to make a positive contribution to their communities, professions and countries. The Alumni Awards celebrate and showcase the impact and value of a UK higher education and raises the profile and reputation of UK alumni, their former universities, and the whole of UK education.
For full details about the Study UK Alumni Awards please refer to:
https://study-uk.
For a list of previous Study UK Alumni Award recipients, please refer to:
https://study-uk.
About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language. In 2019-2020 we reached over 75 million people directly and 758 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by the Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive a 14.5 per cent core funding grant from the UK government. www.britishcouncil.org