Hamzy is an activist who has successfully led grassroots campaigns in over 40 African countries with over 15 years experience in the non-profit sector and specializes in practical issues associated with Climate Change, Open Data, advocacy campaigns and development policies as it affects rural and deprived grassroots communities.
Hamzy! is also the Founder of Follow The Money, a Pan-African grassroots data-driven movement and leads a team of technology and innovation-driven campaigners to amplify the voices of marginalized grassroots communities in promoting accountability as it affects utilization of public funds focusing on specific communities across Africa. His Follow The Money initiative emerged winner of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Mobilizer 2019 Award. This announcement was made at the SDG Global Festival of Action which was held in Bonn, Germany.
He is currently the Chief Executive of Connected Development (CODE), under his leadership in 2017, CODE won the ONE Africa Award which recognizes, rewards, and advances the exceptional work of Africa based organisations; dedicated to helping the continent achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Also, CODE won The Council of Europe Democracy Innovation Award which recognizes Follow The Money as one of the leading ground- breaking initiatives in the world that are promoting democratic principles.
Hamzy! seats on several boards including the Executive Board of the largest Youth Movement in Africa: African Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC), where he advises on communications strategies and campaigns using technology tools in shaping and actualizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He also seats on the board of the International & Local Non-profit and was recently selected to be on the advisory council board of the 2021/22 Global Citizen Fellowship program.
He is a Malala Fund Education Champion and the co-founder of Social Voices, a digital publication rooted in practice of public service journalism, using a solutions-oriented reporting approach and has joined his voice on different platforms and policy influencing coalitions across Africa such as the Not Too Young To Run movement which drives youth political inclusion.
Before his role at CODE, he was an Executive with the International Centre For Energy, Environment & Development (ICEED) working on high level advocacy for Nigeria’s energy needs and climate actions.
Hamzat was honored and recognized on the 2018 list of the world’s 100 most influential people in digital government by Apolitical, a global network for government, helping public servants find the ideas, people and partners they need to solve the hardest challenges facing our societies. It’s the first of its kind to show the international spread of the field, and includes individuals from every continent.