The information summarized is sourced from the article titled “AU recognises female innovators using technology to transform the education sector in Africa,” published on August 6, 2024. The article details the achievements of female innovators recognized by the AU through its Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) and the Innovating Education Expo in Africa.
The African Union (AU) recognizes female innovators in technology for transforming education in Africa through the AU Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA). The CESA emphasizes ICT as a key tool for empowering graduates, ensuring universal access, and improving the quality of education services. ICT fosters innovation, entrepreneurship, and employability, enhances pedagogical flexibility, and boosts graduates’ confidence and dignity.
From the Innovating Education Expo in Africa (2018 and 2019), five young women were awarded for their contributions to ‘Aspiration 6’ of Agenda 2063, which aims for people-driven development relying on the potential of African women and youth. The 2019 Expo, held in August, highlighted the role of STEM in empowering girls and young women to address societal challenges and become change drivers in their communities.
The AU International Centre for Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) supports these efforts by empowering girls and women through education, aligned with CESA’s objective of achieving gender parity and equity. The 2019 Expo showcased the impactful work of five young female innovators from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa:
- Susannah Farr (South Africa): CEO of the Gold Youth Development Agency (GYDA), which uses a peer-education model to serve young people at the grassroots level. GYDA addresses educational outcomes and job creation in challenging circumstances, impacting over 55,000 young people in 123 communities across four countries.
- Anne Nyaboke Wakesho (Kenya): Represents eLimu, a leading digital educational content provider. Her company created Hadithi Hadithi, a literacy app for out-of-school youth and early childhood kids in communities and refugee camps, featuring content in English, Swahili, and Somali.
- Amina Umuhoza (Rwanda): Founded Dukataze, an online platform providing career guidance, reproductive health counseling, and start-up tutorials to empower girls and reduce unwanted pregnancies. Dukataze includes an e-commerce component for selling products made by young women.
- Angèle Messa (Cameroon): Developed Educlik, a platform promoting alternative teaching methods for marginalized children using online and offline technologies. Educlik has benefited over 3,000 young people, including those in refugee camps and orphanages.
- Anita Antwiwaa (Ghana): Head of operations for All Nations University Space Systems Technology Laboratory, which launched GhanaSat-1. She teaches Space Technology to youth and promotes STEM careers, aiming to establish an electronics institution for training young women in electronics and electrical device troubleshooting.
The Innovating Education Expo in Africa is an annual AU event showcasing social and technological innovations to enhance access, quality, relevance, and inclusion in education. The 2019 Expo featured 380 applicants, with the top eleven innovators pitching to an expert jury for prizes ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to scale their projects under the AU Education Innovation Prize.
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