Nigerian ministers to speak at UNGA sessions on education, women empowerment

Nigeria’s Ministers of Youth Development and Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Jamila Ibrahim and Bosun Tijani respectively, are billed to speak at the forthcoming 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79) later in the month.

Both ministers are to speak at different events being organised by the Mastercard Foundation at the UNGA, the foundation said in a statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES.

The Foundation said it is hosting two events at the UNGA on issues surrounding girls’ education and women’s economic empowerment in Africa. The event is scheduled for 22 September.

“Both events underscore the Mastercard Foundation’s commitment to releasing the full potential of Africa’s women and fueling a prosperous and inclusive future for the continent,” the statement said.

The foundation said it would at the event announce the expansion of partnerships on initiatives targeting women and girls.

Women empowerment

The Minister of Youth Development, Ms Ibrahim, is expected to feature in a panel session tagged: “Invincible: Empowering Women, Transforming Africa”.

The session, which is being hosted in collaboration with the African Leadership and Dialogue Institute (ALADI), will spotlight the impact of young African women in driving economic transformation and propose bold strategies to bolster their access to equitable and affordable financing.

To discuss the topic, Ms Ibrahim will be joined by the Executive Director of the POTUS Africa Diaspora Advisory Council at the White House, Deniece Laurent-Mantey.

The conversation will be driven by a presentation of insights from the Mastercard Foundation’s gender report titled: “Young Women in Africa: Agents of Economic Growth and Transformation by 2030,” the organisers said.

Girls education

The second event on inclusive education will focus on strategies to improve young African girls’ access to learning, outcomes and transitions to and from secondary schools, the foundation said.

The session, tagged: “Powering Parity—Inclusive Education for a Sustainable Future”, will also explore the role of education technology in fostering resilient and inclusive learning on the continent.

The foundation noted that stakeholders, including education ministries, multilateral institutions, and donors, are expected to use the key approaches highlighted at the events to accelerate impact and scale-proven solutions.

Alongside Mr Tijani, the Sierra Leonean Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Haja Wurie, and Ethiopia’s Minister of Education, Birhanu Nega, a professor, have confirmed their attendance, the foundation said.

Expanding partnership

The foundation said it would also at the event be making an important announcement on the expansion of partnerships focused on initiatives for girls and young women.

“The Mastercard Foundation is committed to accelerating access to dignified and fulfilling work for 21 million young women in Africa by 2030 as part of its Young Africa Works strategy,” it said.

The President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation, Reeta Roy, decried the exclusion from formal education of about 101 million young people between the ages of six and 18 in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Ms Roy, however, expressed optimism about the efforts of African education and innovators in creating solutions and delivering quality education to young people.

“Expanding access to all has been at the heart of the Foundation’s work. At these events, education champions will be sharing insights about successful policies and programmes from across Africa with each other. Working together, we can scale these solutions and remove barriers for all, especially for girls and young women,” she said.

About Foundation

The Mastercard Foundation, a Canadian charity and one of the largest foundations in the world, was established in 2006 through ‘the generosity’ of Mastercard.

It works with other organisations to advance education and financial inclusion to enable young people in Africa and Indigenous youth in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work.

The Foundation is an independent organisation separate from the company, with offices in Toronto, Kigali, Accra, Nairobi, Kampala, Lagos, Dakar, and Addis Ababa.

Its policies, operations, and program decisions are determined by the Foundation’s Board of Directors and leadership.