Our mission
Lift one million young Africans out of multidimensional poverty.
Through mindset shifts, education, employment and innovation.
Youth-led.
Community-rooted.
Built for possibility.
Elevate Development Foundation is a Nigerian nonprofit working so a young person's starting point does not limit their destination.
Our origin
Makoko · Lagos · 2016
It started with a simple refusal: talent should not be wasted because opportunity is uneven.
Founded by Abiola Adebiyi in 2016, Elevate began by showing up for young people in Makoko. Not with a story of rescue, but with a belief in capability—and the responsibility to help build access.
That belief now shapes programmes in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, with a model designed to learn from communities and grow through local chapters.
Our vision
Young Africans with the mindset, tools and opportunities to break cycles of poverty.
And the agency to transform their communities.
Leadership
Meet the youth-led operating team and volunteer trustees responsible for the work.
Meet the team 02Theory of change
See how mindset, capability, access and youth agency connect across programmes.
Explore the model 03Chapters
Understand the Lagos and Abuja chapters—and how Elevate plans to grow responsibly.
See the networkHow we show up
Values are only useful when they change the work.
Faith in Jesus
Our Christian faith grounds our hope, dignity and commitment to service.
Commitment
We keep showing up, especially when durable change takes time.
A servant's heart
We listen before acting and treat service as a privilege.
Honesty
We name what we know, what we are learning and what still needs work.
A decade in motion
Built one chapter at a time.
- 2016Elevate begins in Makoko, Lagos.
- 2018Community learning and youth development work deepens.
- 2019Project A.C.E. launches as Elevate's strategic platform.
- 2021Mental Liberation and Social Impact Accelerator cohorts are documented.
- 2023A ten-month mentorship journey begins with volunteer mentors.
- 2024EmpowerED Teens reaches young people in Kado Village and GSTC Garki.
- 2026Elevate marks ten years and prepares for a chapter-led model.
“To serve is a privilege. Elevate exists because we believe young people already carry possibility; our work is to help opportunity meet it.”
Abiola Adebiyi · Founder
See Elevate in actionOur 2026 direction
Local chapters. Flagship projects. Practical innovation.
Elevate's current direction is to deepen local ownership, deliver one flagship project per active location each quarter and test social technology that can extend access.
Partner on the next chapter