Tolulope Makinwa

Tolulope Makinwa is a Nigerian development practitioner, social entrepreneur and Managing Partner at Muazu Africa. Her work is centred on a simple proposition: rural women should not remain invisible labour within value chains; they should own the assets, infrastructure, markets and decisions that create and retain value.

At Muazu Africa, Tolulope leads the development of market and financing infrastructure for women-led rural enterprises. Through Muazu Markets and the Kobo infrastructure model, she is advancing pathways for rural women to move from producers and processors into asset owners, strengthening their ability to capture margins and build durable wealth within their communities. Her work is informed by the Rural Value Retention Framework, Rural Prosperity Index and research on gender equity and structural power dynamics in rural settings.

Tolulope is a signatory to the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). Since 2019, she has also supported women’s leadership and civic participation initiatives, including the Next Public Leadership School, which trained young women to pursue public service and leadership across Africa and the diaspora. She has contributed to social enterprise policy and participated in international civil-society consultations, including as a UN NGO representative.

She is a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants Nigeria, a member of the Nigerian Advisory Board for Impact Investing and a Vital Voices Fellow. Her recognitions include the 2026 JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Nigeria Award for Humanitarian and Voluntary Leadership, and other national and international honours.