AU honours 5 female innovators revolutionising African education with technology

The African Union (AU) has recognised five girls and young women in Africa who have been awarded for their efforts towards achieving ‘Aspiration 6’ of Agenda 2063. It highlighted the significant role of female innovators in transforming the education sector across Africa through technology.

The female participants were selected from the Innovating Education Expo, held in 2018 and 2019, for their continued work on the continent, advancing Agenda 2063. Aspiration 6 envisions a continent driven by its people’s potential, especially women and youth.

AU Promoting Gender Parity in Education

In line with AU’s Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) strategic objective to achieve gender parity, the African Union International Centre for Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) focuses on empowering girls and women through education.

Its Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) identifies information, communication, and technology (ICT) as essential for empowering graduates to contribute to socio-economic development.

ICT fosters innovation, entrepreneurship, and employability by ensuring universal access to quality education services, enhancing educational delivery and addressing diverse learner needs.

Spotlight on Female Innovators

Susannah Farr: Pioneering Peer Education

Susannah Farr, CEO of the Gold Youth Development Agency (GYDA) in South Africa, emerged as the top innovator at the Expo. Her organisation employs a scalable peer-education model, empowering young people as future nation-builders. GYDA has positively influenced education and behavioural change outcomes in challenging environments, creating job opportunities in areas with limited employment prospects. Their evidence-based model has impacted over 55,000 youth across 123 communities in four countries.

Anne Nyaboke Wakesho: Advancing Literacy with Digital Apps

Anne Nyaboke Wakesho from Kenya, representing eLimu, won second place at the Expo. eLimu is a leading digital educational content provider in East Africa, known for its literacy app, Hadithi Hadithi. Targeting out-of-school youth and young children, the app is available in English, Swahili, and Somali and reflects Africa’s local realities through stories by Kenyan teachers and artists. It incorporates exercises like letter tracing, spelling, and sentence-making to improve reading and writing skills faster than traditional methods.

Amina Umuhoza: Empowering Girls with e-Counselling

Rwandan innovator Amina Umuhoza founded Dukataze, an online platform that empowers girls mentally, socially, and economically to reduce unwanted pregnancies. Dukataze offers career guidance, reproductive health counselling, and start-up tutorials for young women. It also includes an e-commerce component for products made by girls and women, enhancing their economic opportunities.

Angèle Messa: Expanding Education Access

Angèle Messa from Cameroon created Educlik, a platform offering alternative teaching methods for children lacking access to formal education. Using online and offline technologies, Educlik delivers educational content to vulnerable groups, including refugees and people with disabilities. The Innovating Education Prize 2018 enabled Educlik to digitise services and expand its content, benefiting over 3,000 young people as of August 2019.

Anita Antwiwaa: Inspiring Youth in Space Science

Dr. Anita Antwiwaa, a Ghanaian engineer, leads operations at All Nations University Space Systems Technology Laboratory (SSTL), known for launching GhanaSat-1. She teaches space technology to youth using CanSat to boost their interest in STEM careers. Anita also provides vocational training in electronics and entrepreneurship, aiming to empower young women through technical education.

The Innovating Education in Africa Expo is an annual AU event showcasing innovations to enhance education access, quality, and inclusion. The 2019 Expo featured 380 applicants, with top innovators competing for AU Education Innovation Prize funding to scale their projects.