The Osahon Okunbo Foundation (TOOF)

Get to know us better. New website link in bio ⚡️

Last week, we gathered in Venice on the occasion of the 61st Biennale, “In Minor Keys,” curated by the late great Koyo Kouoh. A night for old friendships and new ones. A night to renew our commitment to championing African art, culture, and patronage across the globe. As we step into our second year, community and discourse across the diaspora are what we are building toward. The dinner was a beginning. The conversation continues.

One last visit before Nigerian Modernism closes on the 10th. When the Osahon Okunbo Foundation lent the Ogolo from our collection, we knew it was in trusted hands. What we didn’t expect was how much the exhibition itself would feel like an overdue homecoming. Six remarkable months. Hats off to Osei Bonsu, Bilal Akkouche and the team at Tate Modern. Beautifully done.

Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and the Labour African Network (LAN) convened a powerful group of leaders in London this week to champion women’s entrepreneurship as a national economic priority. A special thanks goes to the Osahon Okunbo Foundation (@theosahonokunbofoundation ) for their strategic partnership. Their work to expand economic opportunities for women in Nigeria’s creative industries adds vital momentum to the wider goals of SheThrives - the new initiative to strengthen the ecosystem for women led enterprises across all sectors in Nigeria led by the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. Osahon Okunbo @osaokunbo of The Osahon Okunbo Foundation said: "Across film, music, fashion and art, Nigerian creativity continues to shape global culture. As the SheThrives initiative expands its work, strengthening the conditions for women building businesses within the creative economy will be essential to the long-term future of the sector. This strategic partnership with The Osahon Okunbo Foundation reflects a shared commitment to supporting that growth.” Together, we’re building an environment where women can start, scale and thrive. Photo by Lewis Patrick.

17 March marked a significant milestone for SheThrives, a bold national initiative jointly led by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, to accelerate women’s entrepreneurship and drive inclusive economic growth across Nigeria. Cherie Blair CBE KC met with the Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, to discuss our shared vision for unlocking Nigerian women entrepreneurs’ economic potential, on the margins of the Presidential State Visit of H.E.Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR to the United Kingdom. Women are key drivers of inclusive growth and wealth creation, so we must build an ecosystem that empowers them. We would like to thank the Rt Hon @david.lammy MP, UK’s Deputy Prime Minister, for his opening remarks. Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and @labourafricannetwork are proud to co-host this event, with the support of our generous partner @theosahonokunbofoundation and sponsor Loyz Marine Services Ltd. The event was compered by @dr.yvonnethompson_cbe_wintrade , the founder of the Wintrade Global Women Intra & Entrepreneurship Network and organiser of the @flair_summit , which brings together the most influential African women leaders. The fireside chat was led by @dr.emuwa , the founder of @100davoswomen and the @africawomenceos Network. When women thrive, so do their families and wider communities. Photo: Standing from the left: Dr. Anino Emuwa, the founder of 100 Davos Women and the Africa Women CEOs Network; Hon. @kafilatogbara , House of Assembly of Nigeria, Member representing Kosofe Federal Constituency, Chairman House Committee on Women Affairs; David Lammy, UK’s Deputy Prime Minister; @hm_womenaffairs , Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, of the Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs; Cherie Blair CBE KC, Founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women; Ernest Ambe, Founder & Chair of the @labourafricannetwork Photo by @palassociates . #WomenEmpowerment #Nigeria #WomenEntrepreneurs

We just wrapped our first workshop of the year. 10 writers showed up committed to honing their craft; and they left with a clearer sense of what it takes to get published globally. We pushed perspectives, questioned narratives and got closer to what editors are actually looking for. Huge thanks to Nelson and the writers who made this session at Write Good Stories what it was! You should probably be at the next one. This workshop was supported by @theosahonokunbofoundation

Supporting ambitious, women led cultural initiatives like Tola Akerele’s +234 Art Fair is part of how we invest in the future of Nigeria’s creative ecosystem. Ahead of the fair, TOOF supported the curatorial team on a 33 day journey across 17 states and 100 communities, helping make space for discovery, research, and the artists whose work shaped the exhibition.

Many of Nigeria’s next generation of entertainers didn’t find community by accident — women built it. They created the spaces, held the rooms, and made access possible before any institution arrived to take credit. For us, entertainment is not peripheral — it is foundational. It is how culture moves, how stories travel, how a generation finds itself. At TOOF, we back community-led change and invest in infrastructure that keeps that access alive and expanding. #GiveToGain #IWD2026 #WomenInEntertainment #WomenBuildingBridges #TOOF

Across Africa, the future of our communities is built when women are empowered to lead. In Warri, we celebrated that vision at the EstablishHER Graduation and Induction Ceremony. Through the Royal Iwere Foundation, we honoured 108 graduates who spent six months honing their business skills, while welcoming 208 new inductees ready to invest in their ideas. To fuel this momentum, we launched the N150 million EstablishHER Entrepreneurship Fund, expanding access to capital with single-digit interest rates. Huge gratitude to our partners, @theosahonokunbofoundation and @officialpinl , for driving women-led enterprise forward.

Cheers To the women who ignite the change. #IWD2026 #TOOF

On February 12, 2026, G.A.S. Lagos hosted Artist Open Studio, a presentation and walkthrough of works developed by Nduka Ikechukwu (@nduka_ike )during his four-week residency. The programme was structured in two parts: a closed feedback session with art professionals followed by a public presentation, creating space for constructive dialogue before opening the work to a wider audience.⁠ ⁠ The event began with a welcome from Communications and Events Coordinator Catherine Bardi (@bardi.oo ), after which Nduka shared an overview of his artistic journey, beginning with his training at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where experimentation with unconventional materials shaped his early practice using clay sandbox shells.⁠ ⁠ During his residency, Nduka reflected on the relationship between his recent works and earlier series, focusing on how material and process communicate ideas. The works created at G.A.S., which he titles Ancient and Modern, explores repair as both material process and cultural metaphor. Inspired by childhood memories of repeatedly patched clothing, the works reflect a culture of fixing and reuse. The introduction of the calabash, combined with sewing and tying, transforms a domestic object into a vessel for memory.⁠ ⁠ Following the presentation, attendees engaged in a Q&A before the public programme, where Nduka guided guests through the works in small groups, sharing insights into his process and research.⁠ ⁠ 🔗 Read more via the link in bio.⁠ ⁠ ______⁠ ⁠ Nduka’s residency is generously supported by The Osahon Okunbo Foundation (@theosahonokunbofoundation ).⁠ ⁠ #gasfoundation #toof #guestartistsspace #artistresidency #ndukaikechukwu

Before a film gets made, women are already driving it. In Nigerian film, they are in the director’s chair, on the producer’s call, behind the lens — doing the work that makes everything else possible, often long before the infrastructure catches up with their vision. The work that they do, holds everything together. At TOOF, we back the women doing it anyway — with funding, mentorship, and the access that turns a vision into a career. We celebrate the women who were already building before anyone came to watch. #IWD2026 #WomenInFilm