Olatokunbo Ige is an international human rights lawyer, peace and security, development and disarmament expert with over 40 years of experience working across the spectrum of governmental, intergovernmental, non-governmental, private sector and civil society entities, primarily in Africa.
A retired UN senior official now turned social entrepreneur, Ige was trained by the John Maxwell (now Maxwell Leadership)team, and is a certified leadership and personal development trainer, coach, mentor and human behavior consultant.
She practices through TI Consulting, her leadership training and consulting outfit based in Togo. She is the founder of The Livingstones Resource Center (TLRC ), that established the ECOVILLAGE, an eco-friendly resort built with local materials where she brings to life her passion for healthy living as well as vision of adding value to others.
Olatokunbo Ige is also the founder of UTRADER, a waste transformation centre that seeks to alleviate the problem of domestic waste management by transforming used plastics, tyres, barrels and textile waste into quality products and promoting action on reducing, reusing and recycling of waste.
In April 2023 Olatokunbo with a group of likeminded friends established Afrika Nunya, an institute for policy and development.
In the framework of her personal and organisational capacity development work with entrepreneurs primarily in Togo, she developed the concept of a practical accelerator for startups and scale ups known as The Entrepreneurs Village Initiative (TEVI).
Olatokunbo is a front-runner in developing strategic partnerships across and among different sectors of society, especially in building bridges between governments, intergovernmental entities, private sector and civil society.
She is currently a World Business Angels Forum (WBAF) Senator, a global adviser to G-100 Global Women’s Network Security and Defence Committee, and Coordinator of the Africa Missions Global humanitarian work in French speaking countries. She was recently certified by the Africa Business Angels Academy (ABAA) having completed their training programme, earning a second certification in this important field.
Ige is a seasoned trainer, a clear and persuasive orator who has spoken on many platforms. A woman with a great sense of humour who speaks English and French fluently.
Can you share your journey to human rights and development? What initially inspired you to enter this field?
Well, I actually never knew that I would go into human rights and development issues when I was studying law, but because I have always been someone who just liked to interrogate social justice issues, questions on equity and fairness, just knowing that everyone is treated well. I guess that’s what spread me into this. I’ve also been very concerned about issues around poverty, like why should we be poor when coming from my own spiritual background, I know that God has given us everything. So, I think it’s all of these things put together really brought me into that space. When I actually went into that space, I didn’t know what to expect, so as the years went by, many more things came to my mind and I ended up preferring to look at root causes of human rights violation questions around national, economic and social development, why we need to thrive and why are we not able to thrive. On leadership, one thing led to another but I don’t have any regrets. I’m happy that I did human rights law and I’m happy that I happened to navigate not only the human rights space but the development space, as well as in arms control, I worked in that area as well.
What were some of the most impactful experiences you had during your time as a senior UN official?
I guess just the experience of it. Experience of intergovernmental institutions which involved being able to interact with government as well as with civil society. Being able to understand countries/ governments positions on key issues that shape our lives as members of what is called the international community. I recall participating in many inter-governmental human rights sessions both at the UN and within what is today known as the African Human Rights system. Before joining the UN, I had the privilege of working with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), one of the most influential NGOs of that era. I was exposed to some very unique situations which I wouldn’t want to talk much about in detail yet, maybe one day, I will write about some of those experiences that have marked me till today. All in all, working in the field of human rights, development, peace and security as well as disarmament in Africa opened my eyes to the real world of international politics, the good, the bad and the ugly. I had many experiences, some of them were frustrating, some of them were even scary, while others were fulfilling. I remember that every time we worked on the development of a treaty or convention and succeeded in getting it approved albeit by consensus, it was a cause for celebration. The same thing when we managed to advocate for the release of a victim of abuse of human rights or even negotiated post conflict reconciliation processes. Looking back, I am glad that I had the opportunity to work in civil society and later in the UN, the highest intergovernmental organisation. I did a lot of work around women’s rights issues, contributing to the drafting of important policy documents and international treaties like the protocol on the rights of women in Africa, as well as helping to develop the human rights and protection framework for Africa working with the African commission on human and peoples’ rights and eventually the African court. A few of the things that I did to boost the reconciliation processes in some countries, commissions of enquiries into human rights violations, developing truth and reconciliation commissions and so on. They were impactful on both the countries in question and on my person, even till today. I wouldn’t like to give too many details yet, but the reconciliation work in a few countries was fulfilling and I am glad that I invested my energy, sometimes beyond the classic and traditional. I even nurtured some innovative ideas that we tried out then, and have now become part of the “toolbox” used in post conflict situations. Those were quite interesting. The ability to work with everyday people, with government officials at the highest level, and with the diverse groups of people who make policy and who actually shape what happens in our countries was fascinating for me. So, though I might not have loved everything bureaucratic about the UN, it remains an experience that I cherish because it exposed me to a lot of what I know today about Africa and the rest of the world. Most of the reflective work I am doing now, especially in Afrika Nunya, was inspired by those years.
How has your training with Maxwell leadership shaped your approach to leadership and mentorship?
I must say that one of the best things that happened to me as I climbed the 50s ladder was to have joined the John Maxwell leadership team. We used to call it the John Maxwell team at that time, and it was an experience that if I had to live my life again, I will still do. It exposed me to an understanding of what leadership is all about, it exposed me to the importance of working on myself as opposed to thinking that I need to change others. I mean, for somebody like me who always felt it important to be hard on myself, it even made me feel more responsible for what happened to me first, even though I have responsibility for others. Going through the John Maxwell Leadership programme inspired me to become a coach and mentor, it sharpened my speech making skills and I believe has made me a better leader both for myself and others.
When people tell you I know Mrs Ige’s potential, it’s not true, only Mrs Ige knows her potential. What she shows you, is what you see, but she’s the only one who knows herself. What the John Maxwell leadership programme also does is that it teaches us about growing every day so that we will be able to see our progress and through that progress, you’re able to even inspire/ influence others. So, it’s a question of me first; I have to grow in order for me to be able to say to somebody you need to grow. The John Maxwell journey has made the shaping of my life story important for me. Prior to that, I didn’t even think I had any story to share or that it was important to do so. Now, I’m extremely conscious about the fact that my story can be a lifesaver for somebody; therefore its content must be properly curated without altering the facts.
What motivated you to establish ‘Tthe Livingstones Resource Centre’ (TLRC), how do you see it contributing to sustainable living in the community?
TLRC was established as an enabling environment with services and programmes designed to help build a global self-image based on language, leadership, personal development and well-being, especially healthy living.
Focusing on the small details that create the big impact, its programmes are specially designed for people of all backgrounds, including students, professionals, entrepreneurs and all those who want to acquire soft skills that are not necessarily taught in a formal school environment, but are essential to succeed, to survive and to develop in today’s world.
On how do I see Livingstones resource and TLRC contributing to sustainable living in the society, well, it’s actually interesting because for me, TLRC was supposed to be a space where as I said earlier, you develop soft skills, you develop different ways of thinking and behaving which contributes to your overall well-being. TLRC has expanded and now owns Ecovillage, a 20 bed resort outside of Lomé, capital of Togo. It’s a place where you can hold seminars and meetings. Ecovillage is also a place where you can go for retreats or recreation. This is the way that I look at body, soul and spirit. Each of us needs to learn to always take a break, it’s the opportunity to reassess and reflect on who we are, where we’re going and how far we are from the goal.
I encourage us to be extremely conscious about what we eat, what goes through our thoughts whether you are spiritual or not spiritual. I think
it’s also important to manage our relationship with nature and so it’s a combination of all of these things that make up the Livingstone Resource Centre. I think we should have many more in different countries so that we just have a place where we can just go ourselves when we need to take some time off.
Can you elaborate on the UTRADER initiative and its impact on waste management in Togo
We started off by trying to see how, even as we work on waste management, are able to create wealth and don’t forget, like every other Africans society, poverty remains an issue and so we decided to focus on sensitisation. We decided to focus on sensitive education on recycling and cycling. We decided to focus on waste collection, on particular types of waste collection, and we started off with used tires. We started off with pure water plastics, and to some extent, we were also working with drums. Our idea was that whatever waste we produce must be able to be reworked to be recycled or upcycled into something else, so actually going for what we called the circular economy, one in which nothing goes to waste except it has been reused . So, Utrader philosophy is inspired by the three R’s of environmental protection, which is reduction of waste, the reuse of waste and the recycling of waste. We applied that in all our activities that we do. We decided from the beginning of our work that we were going to make wealth out of waste, create jobs and contribute to having a zero landfill system in Togo. The challenges we are facing are in respect to creating national awareness and adoption of the need to intentionally collect, sort, reuse and recycle waste. This must happen in order that the circular economy system will be effective and profitable.
What specific policies and strategies does Afrika Nunya focus on regarding climate justice and youth empowerment?
Youth empowerment is central to much of what we do at Afrika Nunya. Africa is currently in the midst of a demographic boom that will see it reach 2.5 billion people by 2050 and become home to ¼ of the world’s population by 2100. This will represent a (mostly) young population with legitimate aspirations, demands from their governments and a need for dignified work and tangible economic opportunities. Creating a platform for the expression of the African genius that exists in this coming youth is a central part of our work. We empower youth through a number of programmes including the Afrika Youth Impact Forum (AYIF). Begun in 2023, AYIF is a platform for collaboration, opportunity sharing, and knowledge exchange between entrepreneurs across Africa. AYIF-Regional, which took place earlier this year, brought together more than three hundred entrepreneurs from 7 countries in Africa and included contributions from our distinguished guest of honour H.E Prof Yemi Osinbajo, former VP of Nigeria and guardian of the Timbuktoo Foundation, as well as resource persons such as Iyin Aboyeji. Over the course of two years, we have been thrilled to see AYIF grow into a powerful tool for collaboration between entrepreneurs in the region, building bridges between young entrepreneurs, breaking down silos and bringing much needed dynamism to their home entrepreneurial ecosystems.
With regards to climate change, the climate crisis is currently the gravest threat to humanity in modern times. Africa is uniquely affected by climate change: 10 of the countries most affected by climate change are in Africa. But it also holds the promise of being a solution provider and a leader on nature based solutions and climate action. The first rung on the ladder of Africa reaching its potential as a solution provider involves getting stakeholders to collaborate and sourcing the concerns and inputs of men and women at the frontline of the battle against climate change and feeding them to decision makers. Afrika Nunya organises workshops that bring together a diverse range of stakeholders to exchange and consolidate the positions of African delegations to COP on key negotiation tracks, within the framework of the common negotiated position for Africa set by the Nairobi declaration. Additionally, we have organised a side event at COP 28 focused on leveraging the crucial contributions and knowledge of women to advance climate objectives and increase the effectiveness, and reach of climate action.
How did you come up with the idea for TEVI, and what have been the most rewarding outcomes so far?
I have been preoccupied by a worrying increase in the number of entrepreneurs forced to shut down their businesses as a result of easily avoidable, fiscal, financial or strategic issues due to a lack of timely access to counsel or support. Many of these entrepreneurs do not have a governance structure. In Africa, 80% of SMEs do not have a governing board and lack basic governance structures. This leads to poor management capacity and weakens the businesses resilience in the face of operational challenges, shocks and changes in the market.
TEVI is a one-stop –shop style accelerator where entrepreneurs have access to the tailored, practical and sector-specific support they need to grow. This support enhances their investment readiness, allows them to improve their governance structures and speeds up their growth. TEVI is about moving towards a human – centered accelerator model- what I would call human incubation where we put the entrepreneurs’ well-being and advancement at the centre of everything we do. Today, TEVI has been able to build a pipeline of more than 97 SMEs (43 of them women) and is working to enhance their investment readiness, thereby strengthening the resilience of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem by strengthening its resilience.
Opening an indigenous products shopping centre is quite innovative. What was the process like in bringing together the different stakeholders for Togo Mall?
Togo Mall was an interesting challenge in many ways. First, the idea came at the time that I honestly wasn’t thinking about anything that looked like that. So, to mobilise the SME’s around such a new idea required identifying two or three champions amongst the influential SME’s. They were my burden sharers and they facilitated that process.
Secondly, I didn’t actually know what I was getting into until I heard a voice that said “do it.” I received it at least twice. I followed the instructions and I contacted the people that had been in my spirit to contact, and they were very excited about it. Now, the biggest challenge came from getting the space ready in time for the end of year annual fair. We wanted it launched but we didn’t have all the resources needed for the refurbishment of the building. So, again, we had to be creative in marshaling out a fund mobilising strategy that made us financially independent right from inception.
Building bridges between diverse sectors can be challenging. What strategies do you use to foster collaboration among governments, private sectors, and civil society?
Organise people around issues of common interests. Guide them to the point where they see a common purpose. Engage in a confidence building process, develop a strategy that allows for mutual trust and respect. Be transparent about all that’s happening in relation to the activity, event or project. Ensure that everyone gets an opportunity to participate as actively as possible.
How do you approach personal development both for yourself and those you mentor?
I follow the principles of “practice what you preach” as well as “what you do not have you cannot give” . I have been intentionally working on my personal growth since 2011.
What legacy do you hope to leave through your work in social entrepreneurship and human rights advocacy?
Simple. It is that “with God all things are indeed possible”
As a mother and professional, how do you balance your personal and professional life, especially in such demanding fields?
I am not a fan of the phrase “work life balance.” For me, I believe it’s work life harmony that we all need. My approach to it is that knowing my “why” and the values that govern my life made it easier for me to be able to prioritise what to do during each phase.
How has your involvement in global networks like the G-100 Global Women’s Network enhanced your impact in Africa?
Global networks are good for building ones particular carnet d’adresse
What advice would you give to young people looking to make a difference in their communities, particularly in areas like human rights and environmental sustainability?
A. Identify your area of interest and continue researching and learning about developments in the area, carve out a niche for yourself.
B. Be focused as you invest in developing your expertise and getting yourself recognised as a relevant voice on the subject area.
C. Don’t be afraid of innovating.
D. Build a solid and relevant network or become part of one that’s interested and influential in your area of interest.
E. Be an unrepentant learner.
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