24-Year-Old Innovator, John Onuigbo, Nominated for The Future Awards Africa 2025

Young Nigerian tech entrepreneur and education innovator, John Onuigbo, has been nominated for the 2025 Future Awards Africa (TFAA) Prize for Education, one of the continent’s most prestigious recognitions for youth impact and leadership.

At just 24, Onuigbo is the founder and CEO of Foris Labs, an education technology company transforming how students across Africa experience science learning. His nomination celebrates his pioneering contributions to digital education, virtual learning, and equitable access to STEM opportunities for young people.

The Future Awards Africa, often described by Forbes as “the most important youth award in Africa” and hailed by the World Bank as “the Nobel Prize for Young Africans,” honors outstanding Africans aged 18 to 31 who are driving measurable change in their communities. The 2025 edition, themed “Threads of Legacy,” focuses on young changemakers shaping Africa’s collective future through creativity, innovation, and sustainability.

Onuigbo’s company, Foris Labs, builds virtual science laboratories that allow students to perform physics, chemistry, and biology experiments using computers or smartphones — eliminating the need for expensive physical equipment. The platform is already being used by hundreds of schools across Nigeria and has been credited with dramatically improving students’ understanding of scientific concepts and experimental methods.

Before launching Foris Labs, Onuigbo founded Stemnovo NG, an initiative that trains students in coding, robotics, and entrepreneurship, particularly in rural and semi-urban communities. Since its inception, the program has reached more than 17,000 students, many of whom have gone on to win national and international innovation challenges.

In 2021, Onuigbo made history as the first African to win the Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge, a global competition recognizing innovative solutions that improve quality of life through education, health, and community design. His project was lauded for its potential to revolutionize science learning and make technical education more accessible to under-resourced schools.

Under his leadership, students mentored through his programs have won awards at global competitions such as the Global Diamond Challenge, the World Affairs Challenge, and the UK–Nigeria Debate Championship. These achievements have positioned Nigeria as a growing hub for youth innovation in education technology.

Foris Labs has also earned continental recognition. In both 2023 and 2024, the company was listed among the Top 50 African EdTech Startups by HolonIQ and ranked among the Top 3 EdTech Startups in Nigeria by the Global EdTech Startup Awards.

Speaking about his nomination, Onuigbo said the recognition is not just personal but symbolic of the innovation emerging from young Nigerians who are reimagining learning through technology.

“This nomination reflects the work of many young people who are using creativity to make learning more inclusive,” he said. “It’s a reminder that technology can be a tool for equality — giving every child, regardless of background, the chance to learn and compete globally.”

The TFAA Prize for Education is awarded to young Africans whose efforts have demonstrably improved educational outcomes and accessibility across the continent. Previous winners include some of Africa’s most prominent education advocates, entrepreneurs, and reformers.

This year’s ceremony, themed around legacy and long-term impact, will recognize individuals whose initiatives have created sustainable systems of learning, mentorship, and empowerment.

As Nigeria continues to produce a new generation of global innovators, John Onuigbo’s nomination stands as proof that visionary ideas, when paired with dedication and purpose, can shape the continent’s future.

His story, from building coding programs in underserved schools to developing Africa’s most widely used virtual lab software, illustrates how one young innovator’s dream can bridge the gap between access and opportunity — and redefine what education looks like for millions of African learners.