Nigeria’s Taiwo Ogunwumi Named Among 40 Youth Leaders in IOM’s 2025 Africa Climate Mobility Programme

Nigerian climate advocate Taiwo Ogunwumi, founder of the Geohazards Risk Mapping Initiative (GRMI), has been selected as one of 40 young African leaders for the 2025 Africa Youth Capacity Enhancement Programme on Climate Mobility, organised by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Ogunwumi was chosen from a pool of more than 2,000 applicants across the continent. The programme, supported by Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs under IOM’s Climate Change and Migration Data initiative, aims to equip young changemakers with technical, advocacy, and resource mobilisation skills to address the growing challenges of climate-induced migration in Africa.

Participants will undergo a series of online training sessions between August and September, covering climate mobility fundamentals, project design, monitoring and evaluation, and communications.

They will also attend a three-day in-person workshop in October to refine project proposals, network with peers, and present solutions to a panel of experts.

Graduates of the programme will receive certification and may be considered for funding support to implement their initiatives.
Reacting to the announcement, Ogunwumi described his selection as “an honour and a responsibility,” adding that the opportunity would help strengthen grassroots resilience projects in flood-prone Nigerian communities.

GRMI’s work focuses on using geospatial tools and mapping to improve disaster preparedness, particularly in states such as Kogi and Lagos.
IOM said the 2025 cohort represents diverse youth-led organisations working in various climate-vulnerable regions across Africa, with the goal of linking community-based innovation to regional and continental policy frameworks.