At a Glance
- Cuppy joins Gates Foundation’s 2025 Goalkeepers to champion education and gender equality in Africa.
- The Cuppy Foundation supports scholarships, child protection, and partnerships advancing sustainable development goals.
- Goalkeepers platform connects global changemakers driving measurable progress toward the UN’s 2030 targets.
Florence Otedola, the Nigerian DJ and philanthropist known as Cuppy, has been named to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s 2025 Goalkeepers cohort, a global group of advocates advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Cuppy, the second daughter of Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola, was inaugurated in New York alongside global leaders honored for their work in reducing poverty, advancing health, and promoting equality.
The Goalkeepers initiative, launched in 2017, highlights individuals and organizations working to make measurable progress on the UN’s 17 targets for sustainable development.
For Cuppy, the recognition builds on her work with the Cuppy Foundation, a nonprofit she founded in 2018 to support education and child welfare programs in Nigeria.
Championing Education and Equality
As part of her induction, Cuppy has pledged to focus on education and gender equality—two areas where progress remains uneven in Africa.
She noted that her mission is to expand opportunities rather than pursue personal recognition. “This isn’t just about me—it’s about making sure the next generation has more doors open than we did,” she said.
Expanding the Foundation’s Reach
The Cuppy Foundation has awarded scholarships to underserved students and worked with NGOs and government agencies to strengthen child protection and address inequality.
The Goalkeepers honor, she said, is both encouragement and accountability. “I’m very proud of the work we continue to do at The Cuppy Foundation, and I also want to thank the Gates Foundation team for welcoming me into this journey,” she said.
Joining a Network of African Changemakers
Cuppy follows in the footsteps of African leaders who have used the Goalkeepers platform to widen their impact. Tunisia’s Aya Chebbi, a former African Union youth envoy, helped build youth-led networks across the continent after her recognition.
South Africa’s Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the former head of UN Women, pushed for women’s economic empowerment on the global stage.
Part of a Global Push
By joining the 2025 class, Cuppy becomes part of a network of activists, entrepreneurs, and policymakers working toward the UN’s 2030 deadline.
For her, the task ahead is to build on the foundation’s progress and channel the visibility from Goalkeepers into lasting change for education and gender equality.
