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The famous Nigerian anti-corruption activist and the basic mobilizer, Hamzat Lawal, was appointed member of the jury for the 2024/25 edition of the Nelson Mandela-Graça Machel Innovation Awards, coordinated by the Global Civil Society Alliance, Civicus.
The Innovation Awards, who have come to their twentieth year, celebrate individuals and organizations whose revolutionary initiatives guide social justice, the bridge divisions and the lifting of humanity all over the world.
Lawal joins a diversified group of illustrious jurors including Abhishek Thakore (India), Rajae Boujnah (Morocco), Tenywa John Grace (Uganda) and Rhaea Russell-Cartwright (United Kingdom).
In his announcement at the jury panel, Safia Khan, head of the management of innovation and the quality of Civicus, referred to the reach of the prizes this year.
“We received just over 800 questions from 76 countries, in several languages including English, Spanish, French and Arabic,” he said.
The selection process, which begins seriously in March 2025, will entail the review of a list of extraordinary applications from five thematic categories.
Lawal and his security companions will help determine the winners based on innovation, the impact of the community and the potential of scale.
Lawal, CEO of Connected Development (Code), is well known for his initiative led by citizens, follows the money, which keeps track of government expenditure in rural communities and international aid funds.
His experience as a mobilization community for transparency and responsibility was worth a nomination by a member of Civicus Alliance.
In a message to Lawal, Civicus expressed confidence in his experience, saying: “Having studied your anti -corruption work, we believe that we would really benefit from your experience to help us recognize and celebrate minds and the most innovative projects of the year”.
Speaking of the appointment, Lawal said: “It is an honor to serve as a juror for such a powerful initiative that sheds light on the courageous innovators who work to make the world more right. It is not just awards, but it is a matter of feeding hope and accelerating the basic change”.
Civicus described the role of jurors as vital to support the integrity and vision of the prizes. In return, they help Spotlight initiatives that could benefit from tutoring, seed funding and Civicus global platform.
In an announcement on social media, Connected Development (@Connected_dev) praised Lawal’s appointment:
“As a basic activist, mobilizer and innovator of numerous social impact projects such as @4lowthemoney, the appointment of Hamzat Lawal (@hamzycode) as a jury is a perfect solution to help highlight the innovations that raise humanity,” said the organization.
Nelson Mandela’s prizes – Graça Machel Innovation were launched in 2004, translating inspiration from the legacy of Nelson Mandela and Graça Machel.
The previous winners include over 40 change manufacturers of 24 countries.
Further details on the award ceremony, including the announcement of winners and streaming information, will be shared by Civicus in the coming weeks.
In 2021, Lawal was appointed advisory council of the Global Citizen Fellowship Program, a charity initiative by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Beygood.
The Fellowship, which is also supported by director Tyler Perry, has discovered and fed talented young Africans, guiding social change.
In 2022, Lawal was appointed judge by the United Nations action campaign for action prizes for sustainable development objectives (SDG).
He joined Achim Steiner, UNDP administrator; And 29 other global leaders in the selection of transformative initiatives that have advanced SDGs.
