EwaJesu Fasina
2023 IVLP Impact Award Project: ReW Enterprise ChallengeNigeria
EwaJesu Fasina is a community development expert specializing in economic and enterprise development as well as women and youth development. She currently is a gender expert on socio-economic transformation in the fields of agriculture, education, and business with the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project, sponsored by the World Bank. She is a fellow of the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs, a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women fellow, and a Commonwealth Youth Country Representative for Nigeria, as well as deputy chair for the Africa region.
EwaJesu has experience in project design, implementation and grant management. She has managed program grants funded by TY Danjuma Foundation and British American Tobacco Foundation, and private fundraising portfolios for various organizations. She was part of the facilitating team at the US Consulate Academy of Women Entrepreneurs. She has a first degree in accounting and an MBA from Business School Netherlands. She is also an alumna of the University of Minnesota, Lagos Business School, and Enterprise Development Centre of Pan Atlantic University.
2023 IVLP Impact Award Project: ReW Enterprise Challenge
The Recycling Waste (ReW) Challenge was an enterprise competition which gave students in Technical Colleges in Ogun State the opportunity to learn enterprise development and develop small business ideas. An enterprise tour to all eight technical colleges in the state empowered a total of 520 students with the knowledge to start a small business. In a state-wide enterprise essay competition, 150 senior secondary school students wrote 1,500-word essays on the topic “art as a vehicle for waste management.” The top 50 student essay writers took part in a 2-day camp where they engaged in peer mentoring and team-building activities. One teacher involved in the camp portion of the project reflected, "The summer camp was a game-changer for both students and teachers. The sessions on financial freedom, leadership, and waste management were incredibly insightful. I see a positive shift in the way our students approach entrepreneurship.”
"I can improve my presentation skills because of some of the ideas shared with us during the camp. We must learn to sell ourselves and our ideas to convince others to support our dreams of being a green entrepreneur. I value the experience" - Student Participant
2022 IVLP Impact Award Project: Recycling Waste (ReW) Challenge
The Recycling Waste (ReW) Challenge was an enterprise competition for students in Technical Colleges in Ogun State to develop innovative ways of generating decent livelihoods through waste to wealth ideas. Teams drawn from the 8 technical colleges across Ogun State southwestern Nigeria were tasked with developing a simple business concept to conduct a community/school project using waste materials generated within their local communities. Teams then submitted reports on the business case for their projects, and participated in a two-day enterprise summer camp with their instructors to learn about job creation through waste to wealth approach.
IVLP Exchange Experience
EwaJesu participated in the IVLP Project Empowering Youth Through Workforce Development in 2021, organized by the U.S. Department of State and FHI 360 in partnership with WorldOrlando, Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy and WorldChicago. She also participated in the IVLP Project Managing Foreign Aid and Foreign Direct Investment in 2022, organized by the U.S. Department of State and the Mississippi Consortium for International Development in partnership with the San Antonio Council for International Visitors, Global Ties Kalamazoo and World Affairs Council of Philadelphia.
EwaJesu's exchange experience led to the development of her IVLP Impact Award Project: "My IVLP experience showed how trade and investment can be connected to the MSMEs. I was fortunate to be part of two IVLPs, which gave me the opportunity of seeing what the impact of macro-economics and decision making at the top of the governmental policies play in the lives of individuals, especially young people in technical colleges who provide the manpower and creative youthfulness needed to drive industrialization."
U.S. Communities Visited in 2022
Washington, DC; Orlando, FL; Chicago, IL; Salt Lake City, UT
U.S. Communities Visited virtually in 2021
Washington, DC; Kalamazoo, MI; Philadelphia, PA; San Antonio, TX