In a bold move to spotlight Africa’s rural innovators, Muazu Africa, led by Tolulope Makinwa, hosted the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) 2025 Community Hub in Lagos under the theme “Strengthening Rural Enterprises Across Africa’s Value Chains.”
Co-hosted by Xchange Box Solutions, the Lagos Hub shone a light on the critical role rural social enterprises play in Africa’s $2 trillion social and solidarity economy, while confronting a central question:
“When a rural enterprise succeeds, does its community prosper too?”
The conversation underscored the urgent need to close the gap between rural innovation and national inclusion frameworks, an issue often overlooked in mainstream enterprise development.
Held simultaneously with the global SEWF 2025 in Taipei, Taiwan, the Lagos Hub convened ecosystem leaders, funders, policymakers, and rural entrepreneurs to chart a collective roadmap toward equitable growth and rural visibility.
Speakers included Moyo Odejide (Stakeholder Engagement Lead, Xchange Box Solutions), Seyi Tytler (Founder, Emerging Communities Africa), and Tolulope Makinwa (Executive Director, Muazu Africa).
Together, they explored how infrastructure, enterprise inclusion, and access to catalytic finance can unlock prosperity across Africa’s rural value chains.
“For too long, rural social enterprises have powered Africa’s value chains without visibility,” said Tolulope Makinwa. “The Rural Deficit Report and Inclusion Fund are our way of ensuring that those who create value also share in the prosperity it generates.”
A highlight of the event was the announcement of Muazu Africa’s forthcoming Rural Deficit Report, a groundbreaking policy paper that maps the scale of rural exclusion in Nigeria’s social enterprise ecosystem.
Preliminary findings reveal that while Nigeria boasts over 443,000 social enterprises, nearly 46% operate from urban centers such as Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Rivers State, leaving rural innovators undercounted, underfunded, and undervalued, despite their pivotal roles in agriculture, renewable energy, and small-scale manufacturing.
Set for release in 2026, the report aims to:
- Provide a framework for policy inclusion and equitable financing,
- Strengthen enterprise recognition within national databases, and
- Lay the groundwork for the Rural Inclusion Fund—a new financing vehicle to channel catalytic capital into last-mile economies.
Extending its impact beyond research and advocacy, Muazu Africa, in partnership with the Make Mee Elegant Foundation (MMEF), has awarded full tuition scholarships to 40 indigent youths to study at the College of Health Management and Technology, Ibadan.
The scholarship initiative forms part of Muazu Africa’s broader strategy to address the “rural deficit” by improving access to education and social mobility.
According to Makinwa,
“If we’re serious about changing the rural story, education and infrastructure must come first. That’s how we dismantle systems that keep people invisible.”
Supported by ecosystem partners including Herlign Wellness Studio, the SEWF Lagos Hub drew participation from community-based social enterprises and policy actors across Nigeria, Uganda, and Egypt.
Through honest conversations, knowledge exchange, and practical frameworks, the Hub reaffirmed the growing consensus that rural inclusion is central to Africa’s social and economic future.
About Muazu Africa
Muazu Africa is an ecosystem-building organization advancing inclusive growth through social enterprise. Its mission is to connect high-potential but under-resourced enterprises to capital, markets, enabling policies, and communities, with a vision to mainstream social enterprises within Africa’s economic systems.
