JA Africa CEO Simi Nwogugu Named Top 10 Finalist for Africa Education Medal
May 16, 2023
Simi Nwogugu, CEO of JA Africa, has been named a top-ten finalist for the Africa Education Medal. Founded last year by T4 Education and HP in collaboration with Microsoft, the Africa Education Medal is Africa’s most prestigious education accolade.
The Africa Education Medal was established to recognize the tireless work of those who are transforming education across the continent and to celebrate the stories of those who have lit the spark of change, so others will be inspired to take up the torch. It is given to an outstanding individual who has demonstrated impact, leadership, and advocacy in the field of education.
Simi is CEO of JA Africa, one of our six regions around the world. She was first introduced to JA while working at Goldman Sachs in New York City, causing her to quit her lucrative job at age 24 to bring JA to Nigeria, where it now reaches more than 100,000 young people each year. She was named CEO of JA Africa in 2020.
The vital importance of Simi’s work is highlighted by the fact that 60% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa and about 37% of its workforce are under the age of 25. By 2025, Africa will be home to 25% of the world’s youth population. For 25 years, Simi has been leading JA’s efforts to help young people to generate and effectively manage wealth, create jobs for their communities, as well as apply entrepreneurial thinking to the workplace and skills that will secure their financial future. Her passion for strategy and innovation led to the development of many impactful programs that are ensuring young Nigerians have the skillset and mindset to build thriving communities.
“My warmest congratulations to Simi Nwogugu on being named a Top 10 finalist for the Africa Education Medal 2023,” said Mayank Dhingra, Senior Education Business Leader, Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa at HP. “Her tireless work to improve education stands as an inspiration to us all and I hope many others will follow in her footsteps to become leaders in the field.
“HP has a bold goal to accelerate digital equity for 150 million people globally by 2030. Only by joining forces and aligning with NGOs, government, educators and businesses can we truly improve the education environment. The Africa Education Medal brings together all those who are changing the face of African education, whose vital work deserves to be celebrated.”
Simi is a passionate advocate for girls’ education and one of her unique initiatives includes the Leadership, Empowerment Achievement & Development (LEAD) Camp for Girls, which has inspired and empowered over 1,200 young girls to become high-achieving women leaders in society. Another initiative she has championed is the Venture in Management Program (ViMP), which is designed to empower young people in the different facets of managing a business, making crucial business decisions and developing skills for general management and social responsibility. She also built digital and out-of-school youth programs that enabled her organisation to reach underserved populations in the North of Nigeria, even during the Boko Haram crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to becoming JA Africa CEO in 2020, she led JA Nigeria to impact the lives of over one million Nigerians in 5,000 schools. Among the many JA alumni who have gone on to become job creators and social entrepreneurs is Iyin Aboyeji, the founder of two unicorns: Andela and Flutterwave.
Simi also serves as president of the governing board of the Harvard Business School Alumni Association of Nigeria (HBSAN), and has been recognized by the school with numerous awards, including the Bert King Award for Social Impact presented by the Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association. She is currently a fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Africa Leadership Initiative for West Africa (ALIWA) where she is pursuing her passion to empower and equip ten million African girls to build thriving communities by 2050.
T4 Education believes every child everywhere deserves a good education and is building the world's largest community of teachers and schools to achieve this. T4’s digital media platform provides opportunities for educators to network, collaborate, share good practices, and support each other's efforts to improve learning and school culture. According to Vikas Pota, Founder and CEO of T4 Education, “Africa’s teachers and school leaders, and its leaders of governments, NGOs, and businesses all play a crucial part in unlocking the continent’s potential through quality education. African education stands at a crossroads in the wake of the pandemic, but if leaders from across the continent in every field can work together then they can build the lasting change needed. I congratulate Simi Nwogugu on her achievements in skilling up Africa’s young people and I hope her success serves as a rallying cry for changemakers to come forward and make a difference.”
The Top 10 finalists for the Africa Education Medal include:
Mary Ashun, Principal of Ghana International School (Ghana)
Laura Kakon, Chief Growth & Strategy Officer of Honoris United Universities (Morocco)
Rogers Kamugisha, Country Director of Educate! (Rwanda)
Grace Matlhape, CEO of SmartStart (South Africa)
Mary Metcalfe, former policymaker and CEO of Programme to Improve Learning Outcomes (South Africa)
Martha Muhwezi, Executive Director of FAWE (Uganda)
Jean-Claude Nkulikiyimfura, Executive Director of Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (Rwanda)
Simi Nwogugu, CEO of JA Africa (Nigeria)
Sara Ruto, Former Chief Administrative Secretary of Kenya’s Ministry of Education and former CEO of PAL Network (Kenya)
Snehar Shah, CEO of Moringa School (Kenya)
Nominations for the Africa Education Medal opened in February 2023 for individuals working to improve pre-kindergarten, K–12, vocational and university education, who are either educators, school administrators, civil society leaders, public servants, government officials, political leaders, technologists, or innovators.
The winner of the Africa Education Medal will be announced in July. Finalists will be assessed by a Jury comprising prominent individuals based on rigorous criteria.