Project Alkebulan is a Pan-African social enterprise committed to improving lives and uplifting communities across Africa by transforming challenges into opportunities.
By championing active citizenship, collective action, and homegrown innovation, we are turning plastic waste into clean water systems, advancing education, and uniting communities as we build a self-reliant Africa – powered by its people.
This is development redefined: by Africans, for Africa.
Join us.
Driven by our mission to promote Africa, empower Africans, and foster homegrown innovation, we develop and deploy sustainable solutions to the continent's most pressing socio-economic challenges.
By fostering collaboration and local agency, we unlock the potential of communities to drive their own progress.
Our Core Areas of Impact
Through community-led circular solutions , we’re redefining development – by Africans, for Africa.
Our flagship initiative:
Waste to Water: Converting plastic waste (like PET bottles) into revenue to fund clean water systems for rural communities.
Project Alkebulan didn’t start in a boardroom - it began on the frontlines of a humanitarian crisis.
In early 2022, as war broke out in Ukraine, founder Ephraim found himself at the heart of a harrowing reality: African students, fleeing the same violence as their Ukrainian peers, were met with systemic discrimination at border crossings. Denied evacuation, stranded in freezing conditions, and sidelined by global media, their plight became a rallying cry.
Ephraim, started as a solitary volunteer helping to navigate fleeing students to safe border crossings with neighbouring countries, he later joined with other volunteers to amplify the #AfricansInUkraine campaign efforts, using social media to pressure governments and organise safe passage for thousands. This experience was a turning point.
Witnessing the power of collective action and the stark inequities facing Africans abroad, he realised social development wasn’t just a passion – it was a calling.
Project Alkebulan emerged from that clarity.
It’s a mission to reclaim Africa’s narrative, empower its people, uplift quality of life on the continent and solve systemic challenges through innovation, all towards raising the value of African lives.
From the urgency of a warzone to the long-term work of nation-building, we’re bridging the gap between crisis response and sustainable change. Because Africa’s future isn’t just to be witnessed – it’s to be built.
An Africa that works for all Africans.
A self-reliant Africa where communities thrive through sustainable development, cultural pride, and equitable access to resources.
To promote Africa, empower Africans, and foster African-led innovation.
Project Alkebulan believes systemic change begins with active citizenship and collective action.
We leverage circular economy models to generate social impact funding.
For example, our Waste to Water initiative turns plastic waste into revenue for clean water systems - a self-reinforcing cycle where environmental action fuels community progress.
Ephraim is a storyteller, advocate, and social architect – roles forged across continents and industries.
His journey defies boxes: from fashion and media to humanitarian work in conflict zones, he’s spent years dissecting how systems fail marginalised communities – and how to fix them.
The #AfricansInUkraine campaign crystallised this purpose.
As Reuters and CNN documented, Ephraim and his volunteer colleagues leveraged Twitter and Telegram to evacuate thousands of stranded students, turning viral attention into life-saving action.
But for Ephraim, crisis response was just the beginning.
Project Alkebulan is his answer to a deeper question: How do we design an Africa where no one gets left behind? Drawing on his multidisciplinary background, he champions circular-economy solutions, active citizenship, and collective action, believing Africa’s growth must be by Africans, for Africans.
His north star? "Africa’s challenges are solvable – but only if we’re bold enough to redefine the systems that created them."
Damilola Balogun is a Registered Nurse with experience in
step-down Neurology, In-patient Hospice, Coronary Care, and
Surgical/Trauma/Cardiovascular ICU. Damilola practices in the
United States of America
Damilola is a social development enthusiast. She is particular
about using her skillset and experience to develop and deploy
primary healthcare projects that will influence access to quality
healthcare across the continent.
She is passionate about the socio-economic development of African communities. She considers education,
healthcare and agriculture as primary areas for growth.
Kehinde Ayeni is the Executive Director of LEAP Africa, an organization focused on youth leadership development. Her primary goal is to drive the vision and mission strategically towards enabling youth transition and nurturing young Africans by creating opportunities for them to fulfil their potential.
Kehinde is a skilled facilitator and has led LEAP Africa’s core leadership programmes within and outside Nigeria. In 2020, Kehinde was recognized among 50 African Women Making a Difference in Development by Donors for Africa.
She has over 15 years of experience in nonprofit and corporate sectors, spanning operations, communications, branding and marketing. Kehinde is currently studying for an executive MBA at Lagos Business School and is a 2021 Praxis Nonprofit Accelerator Program Fellow. Kehinde advocates for social good and promotes leadership development, social entrepreneurship, and economic and youth development.