Connecting Africans to UK High School Scholarship Opportunities

Who is Yemisi Akindele? Did you grow up in Nigeria or in the UK?

Well, I was born Yemisi Awotunde in Birmingham, as my parents had come to the UK to study. And what’s notable here is that my mother actually came to England on a scholarship. So when we get to talk about scholarships later, you know now why I am so passionate about it. My mother came here on a scholarship and of course met my dad, gave birth to myself and my brother. And we lived in England, I think till when I was about five. And of course, you know that in those days, once they finished their education, they went back home. And that’s what my parents did. So they took us back home. But just before I turned 16, my brother and I returned to the UK to do our A levels. I’ve remained in England ever since. So yes, I can say that I grew up in both countries. For my formative years, I guess we would say Nigeria, because from 5 to 15 I was in Nigeria but from then onwards, I’ve been living in England. So that’s me in terms of where I grew up. Who is Yemisi Akindele? So, I am a mother. I’m a grandmother. I’m an entrepreneur. I’m a game changer. We can put it that way. My passion is to see every black child, every child, but especially every black child, achieve the best education they can, given the resources that are within their remit. Because like Mandela said, education is the key to eradicate poverty. And as you probably know, poverty is often linked to Africa for some weird reason. I mean, we’ve got so many resources, but unfortunately we’re still riddled with poverty. I strongly believe education is the answer to eradicate that poverty. So yes, that’s why I am who I am. And I must add that I’m also a legal consultant. So whereas my background is in accounting and finance, I made it a point to study law too. I focus mostly on family and child law, which means I’m able to work with families in terms of their education issues. I do a lot of work as an advocate for families and schools on the education front in terms of their rights.

You mentioned that you are a grandmother but you just look too young to be one.
Lol…thank you. Actually, I’ve got four grandsons and one granddaughter. I have four children. Three of them are married and the youngest one is about to get married because he just proposed to his girlfriend. And we’re looking at a destination wedding next year, God willing.