Patoranking becomes first UNDP Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Africa

Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie, better known by his stage name as Patoranking, was today appointed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Africa as a Regional Goodwill Ambassador. For two years, Patoranking will primarily champion youth innovation and enterprise development, the timbuktoo initiative to build the innovation ecosystem in Africa, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Empowering African youth by providing them with the tools, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive is a cause close to my heart. I step into this role to lend my voice to important initiatives that hold immense potential to change development for many of our people through innovation and technology driven by the ingenuity and ambition of the continent’s majority – the young people,” said Patoranking.

Patoranking’s journey from adversity to success inspires many. Having faced and overcome significant financial challenges, he has made it his mission to give back. His dedication to fostering entrepreneurial leaders and creating educational opportunities for students from underprivileged backgrounds is a testament to his resilience and commitment to making a positive impact. 

In 2020, he created the African Leadership University (ALU) Patoranking Scholarship, which offered ten fully paid scholarships for promising students from across Africa to attend the prestigious African Leadership University in Rwanda and Mauritius. He is finalizing scholarship offers for the next batch of students offering a three-year degree. In May 2024, he launched the Patoranking Foundation Tech Scholarships through a ground-breaking partnership with ALX Africa, a leader in innovative tech skills development for young African talents. The collaboration will soon announce a half-a-million scholarship to empower 40 exceptional young minds with access to cutting-edge technology education and career-ready training.

“Creatives are incredibly important to the evolving story of Africa. They bring something more than money—they bring authenticity, dignity, confidence, and influence. We look forward to working with Patoranking as the UNDP Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Africa as a champion for youth innovation and timbuktoo, where he will use his talent to advocate and create opportunities for others”, said Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa.

Patoranking’s unique craft and voice, which resonates with a diverse audience across Africa and beyond, will be instrumental in rallying young people to create African solutions. As the Regional Goodwill Ambassador, Patoranking will use his creative voice to advocate for SDGs attainment in Africa. He will mobilize a critical mass towards sustainable investment, bring the majority of African youth into the room, and inspire innovative action that helps in closing the gap between opportunity and investment.

He will also play a crucial role in advocacy for the timbuktoo initiative, which features ten thematic vertical Hubs in Accra, Cairo, Cape Town, Casablanca, Dakar, Addis Ababa, Kigali, Lagos, Nairobi, Lusaka, and timbuktoo University Innovation Pods (UniPods) based across the African continent. His advocacy, UNDP believes, will be critical in investing, reinforcing, nurturing, and building an African youth innovation ecosystem.