Folawe Omikunle

Folawe Omikunle is a social entrepreneur with over ten years of experience spanning Education, Development, Non-profit Management, Fundraising, and Sustainability. Her degrees in International Law and diplomacy, Diplomatic studies, and Montessori Education from Babcock University, Nigeria, University of Westminster, and Modern Montessori International, United Kingdom, prepared her to be a catalyst for change as she has revolutionized the non-profit education sector in Nigeria. She possesses Executive Certifications from Lagos Business School, Nigeria, and Harvard University.

Folawe Omikunle is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Teach For Nigeria. This non-profit organization is focused on addressing educational inequity by recruiting university graduates and working professionals to serve as full-time teachers in Nigeria's most under-served schools. As CEO of Teach For Nigeria, Folawe has led the movement from its inception to a place where they have now impacted over 300,000 students and just under 1,000 young leaders across Lagos, Ogun, and Kaduna states of Nigeria. Under her leadership, 249 alumni of Teach For Nigeria have undertaken various initiatives to impact the system, including founding social enterprises such as a Child Support Initiative, which looks to promote menstrual hygiene, and Mentor an Africa Child Initiative, which looks at expanding and providing digital access opportunities to kids in low-income contexts. Through her hard work, dedication, and resilience, Teach For Nigeria was adjudged the Best Education Innovation of the Year at the 2018 Arclight Award. In 2016, Folawe was listed on the PowerList as one of the ten most influential Nigerians under 40 by YNaija. In 2018, she was listed as one of the 100 most inspiring Nigerian women by Leading Ladies Africa. She won the HER Network Education Woman of the Year award and the Arclight Foundation Woman of the year in education award. In 2020, in commemoration of Nigeria’s 60th Independence Day celebration, Folawe was listed as one of the 60 most inspiring and impactful women in Nigeria.

In 2022, she was one of the Top 10 Finalists nominated for the Africa Education Medal, an award that celebrates the tireless efforts of individuals making a significant impact in the continent’s Education sector. Folawe has played an instrumental role in helping to influence the education agenda in Lagos and Ogun state, as she has worked with government institutions and other education development partners. Through Teach For Nigeria, Folawe led some work that built the leadership capacity of over 18,000 existing teachers across 29 states in Nigeria. Folawe Omikunle firmly believes that the only way Nigeria and the rest of Africa will reach their greatest potential is by educating and investing in their human capital. This has been at the core of how she operates as an individual as well as how she operates collectively with others.