Mary Ojulari Foundation supports 21 entrepreneurs with $105,000 grants

The Mary Ojulari Foundation says it has awarded $105,000 investment grants to 21 young entrepreneurs across Nigeria.

According to a statement, the announcement was made on Tuesday during the inaugural Vanguard Fellowship Awards and networking cocktail party in Lagos.

The foundation said the beneficiaries — 18 women and three men — emerged from a pool of 50 shortlisted candidates who participated in a rigorous two-week ‘Ignite Bootcamp’.

Each of them, according to their organisation, received $5,000 to scale their businesses and create more value in their communities.

Mary Ojulari, the founder, said the grants reflect the foundation’s commitment to building “futures and transforming lives” through enterprise and innovation.

“We mentor young people and women, provide them business advice, funding,” she said.

“Today, we are giving 21 entrepreneurs $5,000 each as a grant to pursue their ventures.”

Ojulari explained that over 500 applications were received for the programme.

She said 50 participants were selected and placed in a 10-day bootcamp covering entrepreneurship, branding, leadership, risk management, compliance, and pitch readiness.

The founder added that the grants were made possible through donations from anonymous corporate and individual supporters.

“We could not have done it without the support of these individuals and organisations like SMEDAN,” Ojulari said.

The foundation said some of the beneficiaries, are Jidechukwu Nwabueze of Jelapetra Farms Limited, Apelehin Oluwatoyin of Inspire Agro Centre, and Olaleye Rofiat Olayinka of Eco Heroes.

In his keynote address, Cosmas Maduka, president and CEO of Coscharis Group, urged the beneficiaries to stay focused and take deliberate steps towards their goals.

“There are many of you who are first in class, but they are not first in real life,” he said.

“Nothing happens outside your belief system. You need to learn to take action as against professing by mouth alone.”

Maduka encouraged the young entrepreneurs to remain optimistic despite Nigeria’s current economic challenges.

The foundation, says it will continue to support young people through mentorship, advocacy, and enterprise-focused interventions.

This is an AI-assisted report.