Education Japan Project #61725

One Million Leaders (OML)

by Next Leaders Initiative for Sustainability

Project Report | Mar 11, 2026
Connecting Young Voices for Global Transformation

By Mary Afolabi | OML Team Member

The 100-Country Summit – Empowering Governors for the Future concluded with remarkable global engagement and a renewed sense of collective purpose across the OML network. Held fully online across regional editions in Asia-Pacific, MENA, Africa, and Latin America, the Summit brought together 3,685 participants from 100 countries, with a total of 7,672 registrations. This broad participation reflects the growing reach of the OML program and the strong commitment of young leaders across the Global South to collaborate on shared global challenges.

A key outcome of the Summit was the ongoing co-creation of the Blueprint for a Better Tomorrow, a youth-driven document grounded in the lived experiences and aspirations of young people worldwide. To date, the initiative has received over 1,000 detailed submissions from more than 70 countries, along with hundreds of thematic survey responses. These contributions are currently being synthesized into a collective narrative that captures the hopes, challenges, and solutions proposed by the next generation of leaders. The Blueprint will be released as a youth-authored vision for a regenerative, equitable, and sustainable future.

Building on the momentum generated through these regional engagements, the OML Fellowship application for the 2026 cohort is now open in Latin America and Asia, inviting new young leaders to join this growing global movement. Applications for Africa and the MENA region will open soon, expanding opportunities for even more emerging changemakers to participate in leadership development, collaboration, and impact-driven initiatives.

The Summit represents both a milestone and a starting point—strengthening a dynamic global platform that empowers young leaders to work collectively toward positive change in their communities and beyond

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Nov 10, 2025
Validating the OML Model Across the Global South

By Mary Afolabi | OML Team Member

This quarter saw significant growth and impact across the OML programs in both Africa and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In Africa, the focus was split between high-level leadership transition and grassroots empowerment. The 4th Fellowship Cohort successfully concluded its intensive training, moving into the execution and fundraising phase that culminated in the highly successful OMLA Deal Room. This achievement validated the program's model for creating scalable global impact. Following this, the Fellowship officially concluded with a Graduation Ceremony, honoring 60 Fellows and 74 dedicated Champions from 12 countries as they formally transitioned into the influential Alumni Community.

The grassroots initiative, the OMLA Bootcamp in Ondo State, achieved notable success in addressing the critical skills gap. This decisive action mobilized and trained an impressive cohort of 91 motivated teenagers (56 females, 35 male) in vital skills such as basic ICT, entrepreneurship, baking, and craft making. The intensive, hands-on approach resulted in exceptional, validated metrics: 100% of all participants acquired new skills in their chosen area. Crucially, a remarkable 98.7% of these young leaders now feel confidently equipped to generate a sustainable source of income, underscoring the program’s power to drive economic self-reliance.

Concurrently, the OMLMENA program reached significant scale during its Phase 2 Leadership Challenge. Seventy-two eligible fellows successfully led a region-wide effort that resulted in the recruitment of 1,706 youth champions from 19 countries. Fellows delivered localized content through a blend of joint regional online sessions and country-specific tracks, piloting hybrid engagement in several locations, including Yemen, Sudan, and Tunisia. This large-scale, coordinated effort achieved its objective of learning-transfer, culminating in the certification of 615 champions who are now better equipped to contribute to capacity-building across the MENA region.

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Jul 18, 2025
OML Fellows Drive Innovation Across Continents"

By Mary Afolabi | OML Team Member

OML Program Progress Report

We are pleased to report significant progress of the One Million Leaders (OML) Fellowship Program, demonstrating our continued commitment to empowering young leaders and fostering social innovation across Africa, the Middle East & North Africa (MENA), and Asia. Our Fellows are actively developing and deploying tangible solutions to critical community challenges, embodying the program's effectiveness and impact.

1. OML Africa Fellowship: Catalyzing Social Enterprises

The OML Africa Fellowship Program continues to be a driving force in nurturing social entrepreneurship.

Impact: We have successfully empowered 60 Fellows from 23 African countries in the foundational stages of launching their social enterprises, all dedicated to fostering a better future for the continent.
Support: To enhance visibility and outreach, we have secured website hosting for these Fellows, enabling them to showcase their innovative projects to a wider audience. The tangible solutions these young African leaders are deploying underscore the continent's immense potential and the program's effectiveness.

2. OML-MENA Fellowship: Deepening Skills in Sustainability & Leadership

Intensive training is ongoing within the OML-MENA Fellowship Program, with Fellows gaining crucial knowledge and skills.

Sustainability Focus: Recent sessions have covered cultural sustainability (with Frantz Dhers), measuring sustainability & ESG (with Sherif Sadek), and a deep dive into the circular economy (with Dr. Najla Trabelsi).
Leadership Development: The next stage, focusing on ethical and transformational leadership, was successfully launched with an insightful session by Peter David Pedersen, NELIS Co-founder and Executive Director.
Alumni Impact: We are inspired by the continued success of our alumni, including:

Marwa Ben Amor (Tunisia) with OleaRevive: Reviving olive waste into valuable products.
Malek Hadded (Morocco) with RIBLUM: Transforming date palm waste into sustainable furniture.
Radwa Hosny (Egypt) with Her Right to Education: Empowering girls through access to education.

3. OML Asia Fellowship: Phase I Completion & Scaling Impact

The One Million Leaders Asia Fellowship Program 2025 has successfully completed its intensive three-month first phase.

Engagement: We began with 150 Fellows from 24 Asia-Pacific countries, with 107 Fellows demonstrating exceptional commitment to complete Phase I. Their dedication to building knowledge, skills, and mindset for sustainable leadership and social transformation is truly inspiring.
Future Impact (Phase II): These 107 changemakers are now poised to step into Phase II, where they will train and mentor 20 next-generation leaders each within their respective networks, significantly amplifying the program's reach and impact across the region.

We congratulate all Fellows for their unwavering commitment, discipline, and growth. Their voices, vision, and action are pivotal to the future of their regions and the world.

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