#Synopsis of the Exciting
HCF 2024 Lagos Conference
By Uche Olehi
Hill City Foundation,Saturday,
July 6, 2024 ‘disrupted’ the Excellent Lagos Mega City with celebration of their 20th-year existence as a non-profit organization.
Effortlessly flaunting their legacy achievements in critical areas of impacting lives,human capacity building, business incubation and development, the highly dedicated HCF team held guests and associates spellbound with amazing and exciting documentary footages that eloquently told their inspiring story of trials and triumphs
in the last two decades of service to humanity.
The well-put-together event held at the prestigious Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos,Nigeria, was a congregation of partners, members and beneficiaries of the Foundation commited to discovering, developing and deploying youths to enable them maximize their potentials.
Highlight of the occasion anchored by Omoba and Carol Braide was induction of members into the Organization’s Fellowship and Mentorship Cadre, Panel Session ( Beyond Impact : Harnessing & Deploying the Energy of African Youths for Wealth Creation),presentation of HCF Educational Support Programme Award to over 300 beneficiaries, Lead Coordinator’s Awards, the HYAP Awards,
among others.
In his keynote address, the HCF Visioner and Lead Coordinator, Engr. Obi Imemba decried the increasing economic inequality
in Nigeria, noting “the complete hopelessness and helplessness’ of Nigerian youths in the face of these unabating socio-economic challenges. He said the organization is changing the narrative with sustainable model of impact : a 360 degree people- focused impact. Imemba assured it’s this “transformational, institutionalized,systematic and generational impact” that can bring hope for the youths.
Engr. Obi also revealed HCF is reaching out to other African countries with a vision of global impact, going forward.
The brain behind the foundation Engr.Imemba, said, the aim of floating the foundation is to drive education as he hates to see unrealised potentials.
Also, speaking with a session of the media at the HCF @ 20 Red Carpets, Obi said :
“HillCity Foundation evolved out of the challenges young people out of school face, not being able to go to school and not having anybody to show them direction. So, in HillCity, a few of us came together and started this Foundation and the whole goal is to discover, develop and deploy young people to discover their destinies”.
” We do this through educational support, sponsoring them in their university programmes, economic empowerment programme, including start-up businesses and also mentor them. There’s another programme we call
Self- discovery and Personal Development. With these four programmes, which we call the HCF four Axis of Impact , we are able to develop young people and we have been doing this for 20 years consistently”.
Continuing, the Lead Coordinator acknowledged they ve received a lot of support majorly from member partners : “Everything we’ve done so far, is from core members of HillCity Foundation. We have not received any government support and we don’t intend to do that. We are here to provide social support to society and not draw from government”.
Imemba further revealed that students beneficiaries from
HCF are spread across 170 universities in Nigeria, even as their target is to spread their tentacles in all universities across Africa .To achieve this, they intend to reach out to ten African countries by the time the foundation will cloçk 25 years. Interestingly, the organization is now in Uganda.
There were harvest of goodwill messages from associates and partners of the foundation.
The Abia State Government represented by Special Assistant to the Governor on Vulnerable Groups and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Ifeoma Thomas applauded the HCF team for impacting positively in the lives of the people, especially Abians, describing Mr. Obi as a beacon of hope for Nigerian youths and Vulnerable Groups.
The event also witnessed an engaging panel session which featured entrepreneurs like Samuel Jegede, Funto Ibuoye, Karen Ubani- Alli, Dare Harold, Damilade Taiye as well as the Lead Coordinator. Brainstorming on their entrepreneurial journeys, challenges and how they scaled through the odds, their discussions added value to
HCF Conference participants.
Special recognition awards were given to Mr.Andrew Kugasira from Uganda, who is also in charge of HCF, Uganda and Dr Valentine Obi, Chairman Advisory Board, HCF Nigeria, among others.
Not a few also bagged the Lead Coordinator’s Award of Honour.
The HCF @20 Lagos Conference equally witnessed the cutting of the anniversary cake by the Lead Coordinator (Engr. Imemba) flanked by members of his team.
Hill City Foundation Nigeria was inaugurated on March 13, 2004, while the Uganda arm of HCF came on board in February 2019
The vision of HCF is to discover, develop and deploy young destinies, enabling them to fulfil their potentials maximally.
The not for profit organization reaches out to beneficiaries through four ‘Axis of Impact’ :
The Educational Support Programme (ESP) which provides opportunities for young under- privileged students to attain tertiary education and fulfil their dreams.The Mentorship Programme, which is a mentorship journey anchored on principle-centred initiatives. There is equally the Self-Discovery & Personal Development Programme (SDPDP) which helps to build membership capacity through workshops, webinars and learning jobs. And the Economic Empowerment Programme (EEP) which supports young people aspiring to be entrepreneurs.
The organization is further driven by what they tag the HCF DNA :
Humanitarianism, Collaborative Effort, Faithful Steewardship, Discover, Develop and Deploy, Nurture and allow room for God.
