By 
By Osasome, C.O and Dayo Fadairo
How one Nigerian social enterprise is connecting offline AI, wearable hardware, and a dedicated entrepreneurship incubator to reimagine what inclusion really means.
When Samson Nuhu Mccarthy watched his childhood friend James navigate a world not built for him, he saw something that would later shape the direction of an entire organisation. James is visually impaired. Samson is not. That friendship planted a question that refused to go away: What can I do to improve the lives of people like James?
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Years later, that question has grown into Elenii Shepherd — a Nigerian social enterprise. Elenii Shepherd is building an inclusive technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem for visually impaired people.
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What began as an attempt to use AI to solve everyday accessibility challenges has evolved into something far more ambitious. Today, Elenii Shepherd is building a connected pathway that moves people from assistive technology to genuine economic independence.
The Research That Changed Everything
Samson and his team did not start by building technology. They started by listening.
Through direct engagement with visually impaired communities — visiting schools, universities and communities across Nigeria — the team discovered that the challenges were not limited to access to technology. They included limited access to entrepreneurship opportunities, mentorship, business development, assistive devices, funding, and broader innovation ecosystems.
One discovery stood out: many of the people they engaged already had Android smartphones. At the University of Jos, the team engaged more than 80 visually impaired participants during early research and outreach, with the findings helping shape the product direction. The research reinforced an important principle: the best accessibility solutions have to be designed around the realities of the people who will use them.
That principle now guides everything Elenii Shepherd does.
Why Offline AI Became Central to the Mission
Nigeria’s connectivity challenges became an important part of Elenii Shepherd’s product design. An AI accessibility solution that depends on constant internet access could exclude the very people it is intended to help, particularly users in areas where connectivity is unreliable, expensive or unavailable.
The team therefore adopted an offline-first philosophy and began developing an AI-powered accessibility application designed to provide useful functionality without requiring continuous internet connectivity. The product direction includes AI-assisted navigation, voice guidance, text and sign reading, OCR-based accessibility, offline functionality and locally relevant information and content.
The underlying principle is simple: if accessibility technology only works when the user has reliable internet, connectivity itself becomes another accessibility barrier.
From Software to Wearable Hardware
During the research process, the team identified another barrier: not every visually impaired person can afford a smartphone or other digital device. This led to the development of an affordable wearable assistive device using ultrasonic sensing to help users detect obstacles around them.
The project combines sensors, embedded systems, IoT technology, mobile technology and offline functionality. The team has completed the PCB design and submitted it for manufacturing. The current prototype demonstrates the core concept, while the next stage focuses on a more compact, practical and affordable version suitable for everyday use.
The hardware is intended to form part of the wider Elenii Shepherd ecosystem rather than exist separately from the software.
Why Technology Alone Was Never Enough
As the organisation continued engaging with visually impaired communities, another pattern became clear: people did not only want technology. They wanted opportunity.
A visually impaired person could have access to an assistive device and still lack business training, mentorship, capital, networks and market opportunities.
This became a major turning point. The organisation began asking: What if assistive technology was connected to economic empowerment?
That question moved Elenii Shepherd beyond being an accessibility technology project. It became an ecosystem-building initiative.
The Elenii Shepherd Ecosystem
Elenii Shepherd’s work can be understood through interconnected areas: assistive technology; AI; IoT and hardware; entrepreneurship; incubation; and partnerships.
- Assistive technologyfocuses on affordable tools that improve independence.
- AIfocuses on offline-first tools designed around African connectivity realities.
- IoT and hardwarefocus on wearable assistive technology.
- Entrepreneurshipcreates pathways for visually impaired people to develop business ideas and become economically independent.
- Incubationcreates a dedicated entrepreneurship model centred on visually impaired entrepreneurs.
- Partnershipsconnect the work to universities, innovation centres, fellowship programmes, assistive-technology organisations and other stakeholders.
The objective is not to build isolated projects. It is to connect these areas into one ecosystem.
The Entrepreneurship Gap
One of Elenii Shepherd’s strongest observations is that disability inclusion often focuses on what people cannot do rather than what they can build.
Visually impaired people are frequently treated as beneficiaries of programmes. Elenii Shepherd wants to create opportunities for them to become entrepreneurs, business owners, innovators, creators, technology users, technology developers and contributors to the economy.
The organisation believes assistive technology should not only make someone more independent. It should help create the conditions for economic independence.
The Incubator: Nigeria’s First for Visually Impaired Entrepreneurs
The entrepreneurship incubator is one of the organisation’s most ambitious initiatives — a dedicated incubation programme centred specifically on visually impaired entrepreneurs.
The concept was strongly influenced by Samson’s involvement with the Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship, which provides an entrepreneurship pathway involving education, mentorship, venture development and financial support opportunities.
Rather than simply offering short-term training, the proposed model is intended to provide a structured entrepreneurial journey: Selection → Training → Mentorship → Venture Development → Pitching → Funding Opportunities → Growth.
Participants would receive support to develop their ideas and businesses while gaining access to mentors, business knowledge, networks and opportunities. The programme is designed to recognise entrepreneurial potential rather than making university qualifications the main requirement.
The programme was initially targeted for an August 2026 launch. Elenii Shepherd has decided to move the launch to a later point in 2026 so the team can strengthen the programme structure, curriculum, accessibility, mentorship, participant support, partnerships, venture development and funding pathways.
The philosophy is: it is more important to build the right programme than to launch quickly.
Elenii Shepherd’s ambition is to create what it believes could become Nigeria’s first dedicated visually impaired-centred entrepreneurship incubation programme of its kind. Beyond that, the organisation also aims to develop a scalable model that could eventually prove relevant across other African countries and beyond.
International Recognition and Partnerships
Elenii Shepherd’s work is beginning to attract attention beyond Nigeria.
One significant international milestone was an invitation to showcase the organisation’s work at AT Village during the Inclusive Africa Conference 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya. AT Village is part of a wider African assistive-technology ecosystem bringing together organisations and innovators working on accessibility and assistive technology.
Although the team was ultimately unable to travel to Kenya, receiving the invitation represented meaningful recognition for a young Nigerian organisation developing both assistive technology and an entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The organisation has also established a partnership with the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre (DDQIC) at Queen’s University in Canada, providing another connection to international entrepreneurship and innovation expertise.
The African Context
The challenge Elenii Shepherd is addressing is not unique to Nigeria.
Across Africa, organisations are working on different parts of the disability and assistive-technology challenge. However, the ecosystem remains fragmented.
Assistive technology may exist without entrepreneurship support. Entrepreneurship programmes may not be designed for visually impaired participants. Technology companies may build accessibility products without developing pathways for users to become entrepreneurs. Development programmes may provide training without creating sustainable venture opportunities.
Elenii Shepherd wants to operate at the intersection of these gaps.
The Nigerian experience provides the starting point. The larger ambition is to develop a model that can eventually contribute to a broader African conversation around inclusive innovation.
What Makes Elenii Shepherd Different
Elenii Shepherd is not trying to solve only one problem. It is trying to connect several problems that are usually treated separately.
Accessibility + AI + IoT + Entrepreneurship + Mentorship + Opportunity.
An assistive device can improve independence. AI can improve access to information. Entrepreneurship can create economic independence. Mentorship can help turn an idea into a business. Funding can help a viable venture grow. Partnerships can connect entrepreneurs to larger ecosystems.
Together, these create a pathway that is much larger than any individual product.
The Long-Term Vision
Elenii Shepherd’s long-term vision is a future where visual impairment does not determine a person’s access to technology. It envisions a world where visually impaired individuals can build businesses, participate in innovation, and contribute meaningfully to society. Ultimately, the organisation wants to ensure that disability is no longer a barrier to opportunity or economic participation.
The organisation wants to demonstrate that accessibility and entrepreneurship can exist together. It wants to build technology that works within African realities. It wants to create opportunities that recognise the abilities of persons with disabilities. And it wants to contribute to an ecosystem where inclusion is built into innovation from the beginning.
The journey started with one childhood friendship. The ambition is now much bigger: to help build an inclusive future where technology and opportunity work for everyone.
