Building Futures, Shaping Climate Leaders”: A Conversation with Abimbola Abikoye on Revamp Rave Network’s 2025 Climate Cohort Programme 

Interviewer: Abimbola, the 2025 Climate Change Cohort kicks off tomorrow with 150 new participants. What’s running through your mind?

Abimbola: Gratitude, mostly. And a deep sense of purpose. I still remember the exact moment this journey began, during the lockdown in 2020, sitting in my mother’s house in Ikorodu. We couldn’t leave our homes, but I had this fire in me to teach climate awareness. So I started small, just sharing with my friends using WhatsApp, PDFs, and Google meet and then I made a post on twitter and everything changed. That year, a book called Ecolog was authored from the experiences from that year. I didn’t have a logo or structure, but we had belief. And from that little sitting room idea, something much bigger was born.

Interviewer: What does “bigger” look like now, in 2025?

Abimbola: In 2025, we’re hosting our Fourth Cohort, themed Baku Climate Framework: In Solidarity for a Green World. We’re welcoming 150 young people from across Africa and beyond, and for the first time, our programme is anchored in both grassroots voices and global diplomacy. The Open Conference tomorrow will feature some of the most respected names in climate advocacy, from Cinderella Ndlovu (a past alumni from 2020), Olumide Idowu of ICCDI and Sulaimon Arigbabu to Yussuf Olatunji Kelani, SA to the President on Climate Matters.

Interviewer: Let’s rewind to 2022. That year seems to have been a turning point.

Abimbola: Absolutely. 2022 was the year we became global. We trained 200 young leaders, crossing borders into countries like Malawi, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, and Ghana. That same year, we launched our first post-programme internship and scholarship scheme, supporting 10 participants to work in sectors like ocean governance, renewable energy, waste management, and climate communication. That was the moment I realised, we’re not just building climate awareness. We’re creating career pathways.

Interviewer: And what about 2023?

Abimbola: In 2023, we doubled down. We trained 150 youth and expanded the post-programme internship awards to 15 recipients. That year was deeply focused on inclusion, we launched a landmark open conference on Loss and Damage Finance, started action labs on food systems, and introduced our first youth-led award ceremony to celebrate outstanding participants. More than ever, we saw young people take ownership of the programme, leading micro-projects in their communities and co-authoring policy briefs. It felt like a maturing phase for us.

Interviewer: And now 2025 arrives with the “Baku Climate Framework.” Why that name?

Abimbola: Baku represents diplomacy and global negotiation. But this framework is our own, it’s a symbol of African youth creating our own dialogue spaces, our own frameworks for solidarity, climate justice, and action. It’s saying: “Yes, we’re listening to global goals, but we’re also defining what climate ambition looks like from the frontlines.”

Interviewer: Can you share who your 2023–2025 scholarship and internship partners were?

Abimbola: Absolutely. Our 15 partners represent the heart of what it means to invest in young people. We’re proud to have worked with:
EnviroNews Nigeria (climate communication and journalism)
EV World Africa and Clean Technology Hub (Energy Management)
Act4Food Global Campaign
Cleantech Republik Pakistan
WasteXchange Africa
ECOP Africa and ECOP Global
ICCDI Africa
Green Hut Trust (Zimbabwe)
Community Action for Food Security
Thought for Food Foundation to mention these few

Interviewer: How do you keep the vision alive, year after year?

Abimbola: By staying close to the people. Whether it’s a girl in Makoko trying to build a recycling club, or a youth activist in Lilongwe advocating for water rights, I remind myself: this programme exists because access wasn’t always there. Now that it is, we can’t afford to lose momentum.

Interviewer: Any standout alumni stories from past cohorts?

Abimbola: So many. One of our 2022 scholars from Malawi now leads a food security innovation collective. A 2023 alum from Nigeria recently co-designing an energy innovation project while some have gone ahead to earn global scholarships like Chevening to study further. Another participant from Gambia just launched a mangrove restoration project inspired by her training here. These stories remind us that this isn’t a classroom. It’s a launchpad.

Interviewer: What’s your message to the 2025 cohort?

Abimbola: You’re stepping into something bigger than a programme—you’re stepping into a movement. Be bold. Be honest. Collaborate. And know that climate leadership doesn’t start when you’re called upon. It starts now, with what you say, what you write, what you build. You are seen. You are needed. You are ready.