The Mary Ojulary Foundation has announced that its financial support to young entrepreneurs across Nigeria has now reached $180,000, disbursed in two phases under its mission to strengthen small businesses. The Founder, Mary Ojulary, made this known on Friday during the award night for the second cohort of the organisation’s Vanguard Fellowship Initiative in Lagos.
Ojulary explained that the foundation was created from her long-standing passion for giving back and creating sustainable opportunities for young people. She said the organisation operates in two categories, targeting children, youths, and women who need support to grow in education or business. According to her, the foundation’s focus has continued to expand because the need for empowerment keeps increasing.
Speaking on the motivation behind the foundation, Ojulary said she had spent more than a decade supporting children through primary, secondary, and tertiary education. However, many of those she supported often returned seeking further help. This made her realise that scholarships alone were not enough. Her turning point, she said, came during the 2023 elections while she was sensitising young people on civic participation.
“In the process of engaging the youth, I met a lot of 18 to 35-year-olds who were innovative and creative, with a strong entrepreneurial spirit. They had ideas, but they lacked mentorship. That inspired me to create a platform focused on enterprise development, coaching, education, and mentorship,” she said.
The foundation currently runs two core programmes: the Aspire Scholarship, which has supported 25 children, and the Vanguard Fellowship Initiative, which is the major entrepreneurship empowerment scheme. According to Ojulary, the funds given out so far cover only the Vanguard Initiative. The programme includes the Ignite Bootcamp, where applicants from across Nigeria undergo intensive training before receiving any financial support.
Ojulary said, “Now, the Vanguard Fellowship Initiative is what we are doing. This is the second award ceremony out of the Vanguard Fellowship Initiative. Part of the Vanguard Fellowship Initiative is the Ignite Bootcamp. We call for applications across Nigeria, and we select the best minds based on the funding that we have. In the first cohort, we had thousands of applications, but we only selected 50 because of the funding that we had. On the day of the awards, we gave 21 bright minds $5,000 each.”
She added that an unexpected gesture increased the number of beneficiaries during the first cohort. “On the day of the awards, an entrepreneur contacted me and said, I want to help you with four others, and that’s why we did an additional four. We have $125,000, and we have given it out to 25 entrepreneurs. Today, we had funding for eight people. For me, the reason why I make the entrepreneurs go through the bootcamp is to also let them know that it’s not about the money.”
Giving the total amount disbursed so far, she said, “In the first cohort in April 2025, we awarded 25 entrepreneurs $125,000. In this cohort, which is the second one, we have given out N50m, and that is going to eight entrepreneurs. So I would say it’s approximately $180,000.”
During the event, commendations poured in for the foundation’s efforts. A member of the Lagos House of Assembly representing Eti-Osa Constituency, Gbolahan Yishawu, praised Ojulary’s commitment to empowering young Nigerians and assured her of continued government support. He also urged the fellows to prepare policy papers that could be considered for legislative work.
“I gave you guys an assignment to prepare a paper. Please get them ready, and we will turn the worthy ones among them into legislation papers in the business of legislation together with my colleagues. Mary, I don’t know where you have got this energy, but we must thank you for what you are doing. God bless you,” Yishawu said.
The event highlighted the foundation’s growing impact in nurturing entrepreneurial talent, offering mentorship, and creating long-term opportunities for young Nigerians working to expand small businesses across the country.
