Ukinebo Dare

Head, Industry Engagement and Ecosystem Development at the Mastercard Foundation

Ukinebo Dare is a faith-led social impact leader with over 16 years of experience designing and implementing scalable systems that turn God-given potential into world-changing impact. She builds transformational Human Capital Development programs that help young people discover their identity, build unparalleled capability, and transition with purpose into work, enterprise, and leadership across Africa.

She currently serves as Head, Industry Engagement and Ecosystem Development at the Mastercard Foundation, leading the strategic design and implementation of programs with a vision to enable 3 million young people across Africa to transition smoothly into dignified and fulfilling work. In this role, Ukinebo oversees cross-sector employer engagement, market systems development, and ecosystem partnerships with private sector entities, and civil society to build systems that create real, sustained pathways to opportunity for young people.

She also leads the implementation of the Mastercard Foundation Associate Program, a multi-partner initiative placing young people in organizations across Africa and beyond to gain structured one-year work experience. Previously, she served as Head of Transitions at the Foundation, contributing to the development of large-scale frameworks supporting youth transitions from education into employment and entrepreneurship.

Prior to her work at the Foundation, Ukinebo was Managing Director of EdoJobs (Edo State Skills Development Agency) in Nigeria and later served as Board Chair of the Agency, where she led a bold, multi-sector transformation of the skills, employment, technology, creative, and agricultural ecosystems impacting over 250,000 people in Edo State.

Under her leadership at EdoJobs:

Skills Development and Job Creation

EdoJobs, the state’s flagship skills and jobs initiative, was designed and structured to deliver on Governor Godwin Obaseki’s commitment to create 200,000 jobs and build sustainable talent pipelines for the future.
The policy and legal framework establishing the Edo State Skills Development Agency was developed through statewide stakeholder engagement and passed into law by the State House of Assembly, forming a durable institutional backbone for workforce transformation.
Partnerships with GIZ and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation enabled the establishment of rural and urban job centres providing career guidance, CV support, employability training, and job matching across all senatorial districts.
Collaborations with Oxfam, Siemens, ITF, MADE, and Coven Labs empowered over 50,000 young people with technical, digital, and vocational skills, alongside stipends, mentorship, internships, and job placements.
A formal paid apprenticeship and internship programme engaged over 6,000 young people in real work environments.

Technology & Innovation

Ukinebo led the creation and scaling of Edo Innovates, an innovation ecosystem that equipped tens of thousands of young people with in-demand ICT, digital design, entrepreneurship, and technology-enabled skills.
She built partnerships with Amazon Web Services, Udacity, Tech4Dev, Facebook, Uber, Siemens, Oxfam Novib, and the Office of the Vice President to support startup incubation, talent development, and employer linkages.
She inspired her team in hosting the Edo Tech Conference, one of Nigeria's largest gatherings of tech giants, practitioners, investors, and enthusiasts.
She led partnership engagement for the establishment of the Edo Tech Park in collaboration with Decagon.

Creative Economy & Cultural Leadership

As pioneer convener of the Edo State International Film Festival (ESIFF), Ukinebo
- with the leadership of His Excellency Governor Obaseki, and support from industry stakeholders, positioned Edo State as a global creative hub, hosting over 1,500 films from more than 90 countries alongside masterclasses, investment promotion, and industry networking.

She led the establishment of the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub, a state-of-the-art creative ecosystem nurturing film, music, digital art, and allied creative skills. The hub partnered with industry leaders and hosted the Edo Youth MEGA Concert featuring Nigerian superstars and emerging talent.
Through the hub, initiatives such as the Enina Theatre Festival were launched to expand performing arts skills, cultural expression, and creative employment across urban and rural communities.

Agriculture & Production

Under her leadership, the Edo Food and Agricultural Cluster supported rural farmers with equipment, aggregation services, and market access.

Edo Production Centres were established to support artisans and small-scale manufacturers with shared infrastructure, stable power, and enterprise development services.

Early Career and Leadership Service

Ukinebo started her career in the IT department of Oando Plc in 2005, where she rose to become System Administrator for Windows.

In 2010, Ukinebo founded the Poise Graduate Finishing Academy (PGFA). PGFA is an employer-aligned academy with a simple mandate: train young people and help them get jobs. The programme achieved an 87% employment rate and supported over 40,000 young people with employability skills, certifications, and job placements through partnerships with Google Nigeria, Microsoft Nigeria, Oxfam Novib, Butterfly Works Netherlands, and others.

She served as a Regional Advisory Board Member for West Africa for the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), supporting leadership development and civic engagement among emerging African leaders.

She also served as Programme Director of EkoBits, an ICT and digital design academy training young people from underserved communities to become software developers, designers, and technology professionals.

In addition to her executive roles, Ukinebo contributes to leadership and institutional governance across education, youth leadership, and social impact systems. She is a Member of the Governing Council of Benson Idahosa University and serves on the Board of EBH Africa, contributing strategic oversight and governance across education and impact-driven organizations.

Faith-Led Community Impact

Beyond her professional work, Ukinebo is deeply committed to faith-led initiatives with a divine mandate. She designs and leads projects that help children, teenagers, and adults build a strong personal relationship with the Holy Spirit and have a God-centred identity. Her initiatives include:

Truth Headquarters – projects supporting deeper engagement with God’s Word as truth.
Teen Bible Adventures – an AI & digitally driven Bible reading project powered by Deborah Intercessory Prayer Network, to help teenagers read the entire Bible in a year and build Bible study skills through videos, trackers, games, and bootcamps.
Pathways Journal – a daily devotional supporting spiritual growth and Christian identity formation for teens.
Epairo Voices – a growing platform for Christ-centred music.
Fabric of Legacy - A mentorship series accompanied by a musical aimed a inspiring the next generation of leaders.

These initiatives reflect her conviction that true impact begins with divine connection, inner transformation, and outward capacity building.

Recognition & Education

Ukinebo’s leadership has been recognized with numerous honours, including:

Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD 100) Under 40
Ford Foundation Prize for Youth Employment – Future Awards Africa
Mandela Washington Fellow – United States Department of State
JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award, Nigeria
BusinessDay & Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment 40 Under 40

She holds degrees from Benson Idahosa University (Nigeria) and the University of Bradford (United Kingdom), with certifications from Clark Atlanta University (United States) and other institutions. She is the author of 40 First Jobs and Wake Up, This Is YourLife, and writes on youth transitions, employability systems, creative economy development, and faith-led leadership.

She is happily married and is a mother of two amazing children.

She counts all of this as nothing if it does not align with the purpose for which God created her and placed her on earth at this time.