Oghenerukeme Asaagba

Oghenerukeme Asagba is a social impact leader with 8 years of experience in securing global partnerships, developing transformative programs, and leading young change-makers in powering solutions to drive development in underserved African communities.

At the age of 21, she founded a nonprofit organization, Catering to Africans In Need (CAIN). As the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CAIN, Oghenerukeme has established a FREE multi-purpose educational center in the largest local government in Lagos, Nigeria. This center is a hub of educational resources that gives thousands of underprivileged children access to quality educational services. In addition, Oghenerukeme has collaborated with strategic partners to establish the first healthcare clinic in a remote village in Northern Nigeria to provide primary healthcare services to its residents and residents of nearby villages.

Her work has been recognized by BBC, the Clinton Global Initiative, Microsoft, Davis Projects for Peace, Channels TV, Business Day, and many others. In addition, Oghenerukeme has given a TEDx talk and has shared her expertise at high profile global leadership and entrepreneurship conferences. She graduated with high honors from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology, Health and Society, and a minor in Global Health. After which she graduated summa cum laude with a master’s degree in Medical Physiology from Case Western Reserve University.

Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Oghenerukeme has a heart of service that beats for Nigeria and Africa as a whole. She has previously served as the International Director of Ligandcorp, a start-up company that develops innovative medical devices to provide lasting health solutions in developing nations across Africa. In addition, she has also served as a policy analyst where she interviewed major stakeholders including the Ministry of Health and United Nations to obtain recommendations to ensure the successful implementation of the National Health Research Act of Zambia.

Through her extensive research experiences, she has co-authored two major publications. One was published by Elsevier, a leading publishing company that specializes in medical, technical, and scientific content, and the other was published by Southern African Institute for Policy Analysis and Research to serve as a reference document to guide policy makers in making informed decisions.