Zita Agwunobi: Building a Legacy Through Volunteering and Thought Leadership
Volunteering is a pathway to reaching the people in the base of the pyramid. And who needs it more than survivors, young minds, and business startups who are still trying to get a hang of it? That is why various bodies and individuals with a heart for the community are making it a point of […]
Volunteering is a pathway to reaching the people in the base of the pyramid. And who needs it more than survivors, young minds, and business startups who are still trying to get a hang of it? That is why various bodies and individuals with a heart for the community are making it a point of duty to give them a leg up. Meet Zita Agwunobi, the passionate lawyer turned data analyst from the corners of Lagos state in Nigeria. She is community-oriented. Her zeal to build a legacy is taking shape through volunteer activities, mentorship, and community engagement, pro bono cases that freed seven prisoners with minor violations. She walks us through the impact in her 20 years of active volunteering and mentoring.
The need for addressing immediate community needs, strengthening social connections, and fostering professional and personal development cannot be overemphasized. This is partly because its impact is profound and positive. With today’s world where technology is taking centre stage across various institutions, the role of mentoring is timely. Research shows that mentoring improves academic outcomes, boosts emotional support and self-confidence, increases employment, and accelerates business startups, among others. This reflects a global survey which showed that 85% of startups with mentoring opportunities saw an increased growth. Thus Agwunobi saw the need to connect with the community and unravel their plights. First, she helped more tech startups find their bearing and become top performers, visit prisons to give succor to the imprisoned, shared valuable insights with fellow professionals, built meaningful connections to reach more vulnerable people.
The inspiration behind mentoring, volunteering
When Agwunobi received an email notification in 2023 to be a part of The Mentor for Development Program, a five-week program designed to empower industry experts and Googlers, she knew she was born for this moment. Having actively volunteered for over two decades, the aim of the initiative aligned with her purpose—to pursue mentorship opportunities through in-depth mentorship, workshops, coaching, experience, and direct mentorship opportunities. It was also to build a strong, confident, and engaged mentor community to inspire and teach the broader developer and start-up ecosystem through mentorship, enabling them to build and scale successful tech startups around the world.
From an early stage in her career as a lawyer, Agwunobi recognized that leadership is not only measured by professional milestones but also by the ability to contribute meaningfully to others. “My volunteering journey began with simple acts of helping another, mentorship and advocacy, but it quickly evolved into structured pro bono work that addressed systemic issues in justice,education, community development, and access to opportunities. These experiences sharpened my empathy, expanded my problem-solving skills, and ultimately shaped me into a professional who sees impact not just in numbers, but in lives transformed.
This positive perspective is partly influenced by her historical interest in data analysis, and further upskilling in MSc in Management and Data Analytics in 2024 from the University of North America, Virginia, US, where she developed strong technical skills, strategic decision-making, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.
The influence of volunteering on her career growth and leadership opportunities
Being a part of a community policy advocacy project on digital due diligence played a pivotal role in augmenting Agwunobi’s career. She was invited to a digital think tank tagged Digital Trustmark powered by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in 2022 to give identity to online vendors.
Agwunobi was among the leading industry experts and panelists who contributed their insights on the digital trustmark, a certification scheme designed to build trust and transparency for online businesses and services in Nigeria. This initiative was designed to be awarded to entities that meet specific guidelines and codes of conduct, ensuring a more secure digital environment for consumers and promoting confidence in digital products.
“This initiative was designed to give businesses a voice, and also positioned me as a trusted bridge between policy and practice. It also opened doors to leadership roles in Policy projects and she became a member of the Advisory Board of a non-profit organization, where I could apply both professional and community insights,” Agwunobi emphasized.
A Pro bono that saw to the release of 7 inmates
Pro bono and advocacy demonstrate that leadership is about service, not just position. Says Agwunobi. By lending expertise to causes without expecting financial return, professionals not only uplift communities but also build credibility as values-driven leaders—activities that show integrity, resilience, and a long-term commitment to creating solutions, which in turn strengthens professional reputation. Having found satisfaction in volunteering, this data analyst sees the outcomes in empowering young minds through volunteering—whether in mentorship, education, or advocacy platforms—as rewarding.
In 2015, Agwunobi found herself visiting the Ikoyi Prisons in Lagos state that resulted in an unexpected breakthrough. “I was simply going there with foodstuffs and packages for the inmates to celebrate my birthday annually. I had a beautiful connection and relationship with the wardens. Soon, through due diligence she met a handful of inmates who had been wallowing in prison over minor violations and granted bail but could not meet bail conditions of N10,000 and N20,000.
“Some inmates were simply hawking and got jailed for trivial offences. We carried out background checks and followed it up. And we were able to free seven. I got a group of women from Confraternity of Christian Mothers to financially support these freed inmates to get their life together, reunite with their families, some who had no clue of their whereabouts,” she narrated her experience, a true tale of woe.
But Agwunobi was not done. Her energy was overflowing. And she could go on more. She volunteered with the Domestic and Sexual Violence Services volunteer team. DSVS’s mission is to support and provide compassionate care, advocacy, crisis intervention, information, and education for survivors of violence to regain control, heal, and work towards a violence-free future.
As a legislative review analyst volunteer, she contributed research skills to and provided policy advocacy review for two proposed bills that were focused on young children and maternal mortality. “One of the bills was passed,” she expressed satisfaction.
Again, Agwunobi is excited about her mentees. Whom she said she watched navigate challenges, and emerged as leaders themselves. Fulfillment she found was when professionals “I once guided now lead projects, or advocate for change reminds me that the cycle of empowerment is continuous”, she added.
Amplifying influence as a thought leader
“Sharing knowledge on public platforms has been transformative. Speaking at the Justice Entrepreneurial School, organized by Hague Institute for Innovation in Law, I spotlighted startup challenges and proposed solutions, while equipping the emerging startups with tools and framework to navigate them. Mentoring, however, has been the most rewarding. I remember one of the feedbacks received was shared by an enterpreneur who benefitted from my insights on the dynamic perspectives of failure or setbacks in business. I shared that “every challenge we overcome or navigate is a raw material for another battle”. This created a ripple effect amongst my audience and the feedback was amazing. Together, these activities reinforce my position as a thought leader while ensuring knowledge earned is transferred,” Agwunobi emphasized.
Indeed, the impact of building a legacy does not have an immediate effect until later in life. Having come to terms with this fact, Agwunobi has a way she reflects on the lasting impact of her service and thought leadership today—in stories. As a faith driven professional, I believe in testimonies. The testimonies from those whose lives have been touched is fulfilling. While numbers matter, the true legacy lies in the culture of service and leadership I help inspire. Each mentee who thrives, each policy adopted, and each project sustained becomes a building block in a legacy that is bigger than myself.
A word for emerging professionals aiming to volunteer
Having been a practising professional for 20 years and seamlessly balanced it with volunteering simultaneously, Agwunobi has a word or two for emerging professionals who wish to volunteer.
“Thought-leadership is a pathway to long-term influence and reputation. ‘What are you passionate about?’ Start small, but start now. You don’t need a grand platform to make a difference, offer your expertise around you, share your perspective when the need arises, or mentor just one person at a time. Consistency matters more than scale in the beginning. Over time, your body of work will speak for you, and your reputation will grow organically as someone who combines skill with service.
“Volunteering is not a separate commitment, it is part of my professional identity. It strengthens my personality, and also ensures that my career and my contributions to the community grow in tandem,” she emphasized.