By Ory Okolloh

A few months ago, we (Luminate) gathered our Nigeria-based investees in Lagos for two and a half days of learning, connecting, and networking.  We are increasingly focused on how we can support organisations we fund to build their “inner muscle” as it were in order to not just continue to be impactful but to be around for the long run, especially in an environment where they face multiple challenges from a shrinking civic space in which to do their work to a growing to-do list to limited funding options to the fatigue that comes along with the daily grind of trying to make a difference in Nigeria.

There were many stories and lessons shared in that time…the most striking to me was how the whole was greater than the sum of parts. Yes, a bit of a cliché but so true! From collaborations across the organisations, to advice on how to deal with scale and founder transitions, to working on supporting the next generation of founders and organisations working to improve governance in Nigeria, there are a lot of positive things emanating from our investees in Nigeria.

So what does the whole greater than the sum look like?

Sheena Adams