IT’S NOT EVERY DAY YOU MEET A REAL-LIFE HERO.

By Dotun Olowoporoku (Venture Investor)

I was speaking at an event in Lagos when I met her. She was nominated for the CNN Hero of the Year for her work with the girls in under-served communities. Especially for what she is doing at Makoko, the slum by the edge of the Lagos Lagoon. I remembered reading about her a few weeks before. And there she was, in real life. So I asked her to be my guest on the show. She said yes! When we recorded the episode a few days later, she looked really tired. She was actually tired. She’s been working really hard. Being a hero is hard work. But Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin is doing it with grace. And I really admire her courage and vision. She is democratizing opportunities for young girls living in under-served communities. She teaches them how to code, start a tech business and go beyond the limitation that the society may put on them. Some of the girls built Makoko Fresh, and now they can make money through it. Abisoye’s story is intertwined with the girls she’s helping. She went beyond her own limitations, and in doing so discovered her true calling.