2025
Annual
Impact Report
Executive Director's Message
"2025 was the year UCAF proved that a community-rooted organisation can compete on the continental stage. From EduFest Arewa Talent — our largest program delivery to date — to being named a finalist at the 7th AICIF Social Impact competition, we entered a new chapter. We are not just delivering programs; we are building systems."
Who We Are
The Umar Creative Arts Foundation (UCAF) is a youth-led non-profit organisation based in Zaria, Kaduna State. Established in 2022, UCAF works at the intersection of education, leadership, creative arts, and community innovation. In 2025, we reached our third full year of operation — scaling programs, deepening impact, and building the infrastructure for long-term institutional work.
2025 — Year in Numbers
UCAF was selected as a finalist in the Social Impact category of the 7th African International Conference on Islamic Finance (AICIF 2025 — Africa Emerging) Pitch Competition — competing against organisations from across the African continent.
EduFest — Arewa Talent 2025
Think, Design & Lead · TED-Ed · Sport & Recreation · Design Thinking Summer
EduFest Arewa Talent 2025 was UCAF's most ambitious delivery to date — a multi-day celebration of youth learning, leadership, and creative problem-solving. The festival brought together students from across Kaduna State for design thinking intensives, TED-Ed student talks, football competition, and mentorship sessions.
A design thinking summer intensive equipping students with human-centred problem-solving frameworks through group challenges and real-world scenarios.
Student-led TED-style talks on community problems. Post-session data showed 82% of participants demonstrated improved idea articulation.
A community football tournament bringing together young people from across the region, fostering teamwork, discipline, and community pride.
School-based sessions introducing the AIDeL platform and design thinking literacy to basic-level students at Window on America, Zaria.
Career Workshop 3.0 & Build Her Art Project
Career & Talent Workshop 3.0
The third edition of our Career & Talent Workshop scaled our talent development model across Zaria and Sabon Gari. Building on the success of previous editions, Workshop 3.0 introduced structured mentorship pairing and expanded its reach to include university-level students alongside secondary school participants.
Build Her Art Project — Launched
A six-month hybrid leadership and mentorship pipeline for Art Advocacy in northern Nigeria — empowering young women to use creative expression as a tool for social change and cultural storytelling.
- Art Advocacy & Creative Leadership
- Cultural Storytelling workshops
- Community Impact projects
- Mentorship & professional development
AIDeL Platform — In Development
AIDeL (AI-Driven Empathic Learning & Innovation Model) is UCAF's forthcoming design thinking platform — AI-powered, empathy-centred, and built to transform how students and educators engage with human-centred problem solving. Currently in active development, AIDeL will provide structured digital tools for the five stages of design thinking: Empathize → Define → Ideate → Prototype → Test & Reflect.
Key Partnerships — 2025
Primary hub for empathy sessions, TED-Ed talks, and AIDeL demonstrations.
Multiple schools across Zaria and Sabon Gari partnered to host EduFest components.
UCAF recognised as Social Impact Finalist — Africa Emerging category.
Expanding network of practitioners supporting youth leadership development.
Strategic Direction — 2026
- Launch AIDeL platform publicly — for schools and educators
- Scale Build Her Art Project to a second cohort
- Formalise M&E systems and publish impact data
- Expand Window on America partnership to additional program streams
- Pursue institutional funding and development partnerships