A 24-year-old Nigerian, Otito-Jesu Ayeni, has bagged the prestigious 2024 Diana Award.
Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Award is given out by the charity of the same name and has the support of both her sons, HRH The Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex.
Through his organisation, ‘Archivan’, Otito-Jesu was applauded for his dedication to reducing employment inequalities faced by millions of people with disabilities in Nigeria.
With systemic biases and stereotypes creating significant barriers to meaningful employment, Otito-Jesu has spearheaded initiatives to deliver entrepreneurship and employability training, promote digital literacy, and advocate for inclusive hiring practices.
Since its inception, ‘Archivan’ has trained several disabled people and indirectly impacted hundreds of others.
Through advocacy and partnerships, Otito-Jesu, who doubles as a 2024 Carrington Fellow of the United States Consulate in Nigeria, is redefining inclusion, challenging biases, and creating pathways for people with disabilities to achieve professional success.
This year, the Diana Award received over 1700 nomination submissions, making this the most competitive year yet, out of which Otito-Jesu was among the final awardees.
To receive the Diana Award, recipients need to have been nominated by adults who know the young people in a professional capacity and want to recognise their efforts to make a positive contribution to society.
All Diana Award Recipients have dedicated a minimum of 12 months to leading positive social change through a variety of activities from campaigning and educating, to fundraising to delivering services.
Dr Tessy Ojo CBE, CEO of The Diana Award, said: “We warmly congratulate our new Diana Award Recipients from across the world who are dedicating their time to making positive change.
“These young people demonstrate that young people have the power to change the world; a belief also held by Diana Princess of Wales. We know by receiving this honour they will inspire more young people to get involved in their communities.”