Diaspora Star | Stanley Anigbogu : Lighting the Path to a Greener Africa

From the rural communities of Anambra State to the international spotlight in London, Stanley Chidubem Anigbogu is leading a quiet revolution powered by innovation, sustainability, and purpose. The Nigerian changemaker and founder of LightEd was recently crowned the 2025 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year, a prestigious accolade that recognizes exceptional young leaders transforming their communities.

But Stanley’s journey to global recognition didn’t begin in a lab or at a summit it began in the heart of a small town in southeastern Nigeria, where power cuts were the norm, not the exception. Born into a modest family with limited access to stable electricity, Stanley grew up witnessing the real cost of energy poverty: students studying under candlelight, families unable to refrigerate food, and businesses stunted by unreliable infrastructure.

His parents, both educators, deeply valued knowledge and made tremendous sacrifices to ensure Stanley and his siblings had access to a good education. His father, a retired secondary school principal, and his mother, a primary school teacher, instilled in him a love for learning and a belief in the transformative power of education. Despite financial challenges, the Anigbogu family emphasized integrity, service, and faith, values that remain central to Stanley’s leadership today.

From a young age, Stanley stood out for his curiosity and technical flair. He would often take apart old electronics just to understand how they worked. This fascination with technology, paired with a growing awareness of Nigeria’s environmental and energy challenges, set him on a path that would eventually span continents.

In 2020, during the global COVID-19 lockdown, Stanley turned crisis into opportunity. He founded LightEd, a renewable energy startup that transforms discarded electronic and plastic waste into solar-powered lighting systems. What began as a grassroots initiative with a team of young innovators has evolved into a continent-wide movement. LightEd has provided clean energy to over 10,000 refugees, trained 6,000 students in environmental sustainability, and recycled more than 20,000 kilograms of waste.

In 2021, Stanley was admitted to the African Leadership University (ALU) in Kigali, Rwanda, where he is currently a third-year student pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurial Leadership. At ALU, Stanley found a nurturing ecosystem that encouraged his problem-solving mindset and connected him with like-minded changemakers from across Africa. His education at ALU sharpened his entrepreneurial instincts and gave him the strategic tools to scale LightEd's impact.

Despite balancing academic responsibilities with running a high-impact startup, Stanley has continued to push boundaries. His efforts have been recognized by several international institutions. In addition to the Commonwealth Youth Award, he is a recipient of the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honor, and he emerged a winner in the World Bank Group Pitch Competition.

During the 2025 Commonwealth Youth Awards ceremony in London, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland KC described Stanley as “a true revolutionary a visionary” whose work is “bringing light and hope to those who need it most, while cleansing the environment of toxic waste.”

For Stanley, the recognition is just the beginning. “This award is a call to action,” he said in his acceptance speech. “It reminds us that young Africans are not just future leaders we are leaders today, solving problems now, and shaping a better tomorrow.”

As LightEd expands its reach across Africa and beyond, Stanley remains grounded in his Nigerian roots, inspired by the resilience of his community, and motivated by a simple yet powerful belief: “When you have power, you become empowered.”

A student of leadership, and a visionary for sustainability, Stanley Anigbogu is a true Diaspora Star, leading Africa into a cleaner, brighter, and more inclusive future.