Nigerian Activist Joins Jury for Global Mandela–Machel Awards

• Nigerian anti-corruption advocate Hamzat Lawal has been selected as a juror for the 2024/25 Nelson Mandela–Graça Machel Innovation Awards
• He joins a global panel to evaluate over 800 entries spotlighting social impact, innovation, and community transformation
• Lawal’s appointment recognizes his grassroots work with Follow The Money and his global influence in transparency and accountability

Prominent Nigerian activist and founder of Follow The Money, Hamzat Lawal, has been appointed as a jury member for the 2024/25 edition of the Nelson Mandela–Graça Machel Innovation Awards, an initiative of CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance.

This prestigious award, now in its 20th year, recognizes changemakers and organizations whose inventive efforts advance social justice, bridge social and political divides, and inspire transformative impact worldwide.

Nigerian activist joins diverse panel of jurors

Lawal joins a distinguished and diverse panel of jurors drawn from various regions, including Abhishek Thakore (India), Rajae Boujnah (Morocco), Tenywa John Grace (Uganda), and Rhaea Russell-Cartwright (United Kingdom).

Safia Khan, Innovation & Quality Management Officer at CIVICUS, shared that the 2024/25 edition has attracted significant global interest.

“We’ve received just over 800 applications from 76 countries, in multiple languages including English, Spanish, French, and Arabic,” she noted in her welcome message to the jury.

The judging process is scheduled to begin in March 2025 and will involve reviewing standout applications across five thematic categories.

Lawal and his fellow jurors are tasked with evaluating submissions based on originality, measurable community impact, and scalability.

About Hamzat Lawal

Lawal is the Chief Executive of Connected Development (CODE), a civic organization committed to empowering marginalized communities. His signature initiative, Follow The Money, has gained international recognition for monitoring public spending in remote regions and ensuring government accountability.

His consistent track record of championing transparency and community empowerment led to his nomination by a CIVICUS alliance member.

In a formal invitation to Lawal, CIVICUS wrote: “Having researched your anti-corruption work, we believe we would really benefit from your expertise to help us recognize and celebrate the most innovative minds and projects of the year.”

Reacting to the appointment, Lawal described the opportunity as deeply meaningful.

“It is an honour to serve as a juror for such a powerful initiative that shines a light on the courageous innovators working to make the world more just. This is not just about awards—it’s about fueling hope and accelerating grassroots change,” he said.

Connected Development also shared the news via social media, describing Lawal’s selection as fitting recognition for his years of community-driven work:

“As a grassroots campaigner, mobilizer, and innovator of several social impact projects like @4lowthemoney, Hamzat Lawal’s (@HamzyCODE) appointment as a jury is a perfect fit to help spotlight innovations that uplift humanity.”

CIVICUS has announced that updates on the awards ceremony and winner announcements will be made available in the coming weeks.

Lawal’s growing international profile includes previous appointments such as serving on the advisory council for the Global Citizen Fellowship Program in 2021 and judging the UN SDG Action Awards in 2022.

Nigerian poet Rasaq Malik takes home Anhinga Prize

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Rasaq Malik Gbolahan, a US-based Nigerian poet and scholar, had been named the winner of the prestigious 2024 Anhinga Prize for Poetry for his manuscript The Origin of Wounds.

Selected by the prominent literary judge Kaveh Bassiri, this collection has been described as "a beautiful elegy to war and violence."

Source: Legit.ng