{"id":5493,"date":"2025-01-19T14:49:05","date_gmt":"2025-01-19T14:49:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/princessoghene.com\/diary\/?p=5493"},"modified":"2025-08-19T16:04:46","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T16:04:46","slug":"alumni-spotlight-interview-emmanuel-agunze-founder-of-the-makoko-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/princessoghene.com\/diary\/alumni-spotlight-interview-emmanuel-agunze-founder-of-the-makoko-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Spotlight Interview: Emmanuel Agunze, Founder of The Makoko Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editorial Note by Dr. Princess Oghene, National Public Relations Secretary, USGEAAN NEC<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this edition of the Alumni Spotlight Series, we highlight the inspiring journey of Emmanuel Agunze, a USGEAAN alumnus whose work through <\/strong>The Makoko Dream<\/strong><\/em> is transforming lives in one of Africa\u2019s most marginalized communities. From providing tuition-free education to pioneering storytelling for visibility, Emmanuel\u2019s leadership demonstrates the power of alumni impact in advancing education, social innovation, and community empowerment.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Interview<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Q: What inspired you to start <\/strong>The Makoko Dream<\/strong><\/em>?
My mom was a community leader and vibrant philanthropist alongside my dad. Though she dropped out in Primary 6, she ensured all her children were educated. When she passed away while I was 7, I resolved to carry forward her legacy by helping other children access education.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, after chaperoning a Covenant University group on an urban population project in Makoko, I felt a strong conviction to stay and drive sustainable change. That birthed <\/strong>The Makoko Dream<\/strong><\/em> \u2014 because every child\u2019s dream is valid.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Can you describe the realities of Makoko and why your work is critical?
Makoko is the largest floating slum in Africa, nicknamed the <\/strong>Venice of Africa<\/strong><\/em> but a far cry from Venice. Education is considered a luxury here, and this lack of access perpetuates poverty. We founded <\/strong>The Makoko Dream School<\/strong><\/em> to grant free access to quality education through tuition-free nursery and primary schools sustained by volunteers and sponsors.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Do you have a story that illustrates the impact of your work?
Yes. <\/strong>Chiboy<\/strong><\/em>, a 14-year-old who was once aggressive and out of school, was about to be sent to the village for underperformance. We took him in, gave him a conducive learning environment, and today, he excels academically, consistently placing 1st or 2nd. Recently, he won a leadership and entrepreneurship award from a Canadian Business Group (2025). His story embodies the transformation possible when children are given care, education, and opportunity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What are your key programs and partnerships?
We introduced the Makoko Dream Super Heroes Program, where individuals and corporations can \u201cadopt\u201d a child as Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Bronze sponsors (<\/strong>\u20a6<\/strong>150k, <\/strong>\u20a6<\/strong>100k, <\/strong>\u20a6<\/strong>50k, <\/strong>\u20a6<\/strong>30k respectively).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve also built partnerships with banks, NGOs, industries, and most notably Code for Africa in the <\/strong>#MapMakoko<\/strong><\/em> project, which mapped Makoko for the first time in history, enhancing visibility and resource access.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: How has your alumni experience shaped your approach?
Through exchange programs like the Mandela Washington Fellowship, I discovered the power of storytelling. Impact must be documented and shared; this fosters visibility, accountability, and trust among supporters.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What challenges do you face in leadership and how do you overcome them?
One major challenge is waning interest in humanitarian work, especially in Africa. Initially, I was ridiculed for pursuing this vision. I overcame this through consistency, focus, and tangible results. As I like to say: <\/strong>people would rather join a moving train than a static Ferrari.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What is your vision for the future of Makoko?
I envision Makoko as both a tourist destination and a citadel of learning. With hard work, treasures in the trenches can be unearthed. By expanding sponsorship and ensuring more out-of-school children gain quality education, we can create lasting transformation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Closing Thoughts
Spotlighting the work we do is vital for visibility. Being physically present at our programs or supporting through the Super Heroes Program amplifies our reach.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, I thank Dr. Princess Oghene and USGEAAN for projecting the impactful work of alumni. Long live USGEAAN!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warm Regards,
<\/strong>Emmanuel Agunze<\/strong><\/em>
Founder & CEO, The Makoko Dream
Lagos, Nigeria<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editorial Note by Dr. Princess Oghene, National Public Relations Secretary, USGEAAN NEC In this edition of the Alumni…","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5493","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-usgeaan","8":"cs-entry","9":"cs-video-wrap"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/princessoghene.com\/diary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/princessoghene.com\/diary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/princessoghene.com\/diary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/princessoghene.com\/diary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/princessoghene.com\/diary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5493"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/princessoghene.com\/diary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5566,"href":"https:\/\/princessoghene.com\/diary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5493\/revisions\/5566"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/princessoghene.com\/diary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/princessoghene.com\/diary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/princessoghene.com\/diary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/princessoghene.com\/diary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}