Africa is rising.
But the continent – and indeed the world – is also facing critical challenges. The tragedy of diseases like Ebola. The ravages of climate change. The threat of food insecurity. Civil unrest from Burkina Faso to Central African Republic. Widespread unemployment.
But there is another side to the story. A story of Africa’s shining youth, set in communities, libraries and labs on university campuses across the continent. And it’s a story that’s gaining recognition among educators from around the world as they chart the next phase of the global movement of higher education, civic engagement and social responsibility at the Talloires Network Leaders Conference this week.
Universities are not only economic drivers of their communities, but powerful sources of innovation, new thinking and influence. They are central to movements and causes that seek to better the world. Much like the Talloires Network, The MasterCard Foundation believes that universities do not exist in isolation from society, nor from the communities in which they are located. They are, as Nature magazine writes, “beacons of social justice.”
And more than that, universities are tapping into the energy of young people. Energy that they are already using to make a difference in the world.
But can universities aspire to more than just educating students? Can we develop the right kind of leaders – transformative leaders who are the embodiment of courage, altruism, empathy and resilience?
We know that education is a tangible, effective path out of poverty for families and communities, and particularly for girls and young women. The longer a young person stays in school, the more they can expect to earn and contribute to the growth of their country’s economy. Just one extra year of secondary schooling increases an individual’s earnings by up to 10 percent, raising average GDP growth by 3.37 percent.
In contrast, it is easy to think of leadership as intangible. Its effect on how we live is difficult to prove. But we know the big problems of our time won’t be solved without it.
So how can universities harness the energy and optimism of Africa’s youth to develop these transformative leaders?
First, we must strive to ensure that universities are inclusive and representative of the communities they serve.
We must ensure that we provide those who are so often left behind– young women, promising young students from economically disadvantaged communities and ethnic minorities – with the opportunities to take their place in the world. Diversity, gender and income equality will bring alternative views and ways of thinking into our institutions.
We must also strive to design programs that meet these students’ needs by understanding the challenges and contexts of their lives.
Nonduduzo Ndlovu, a MasterCard Foundation Scholar at the University of Pretoria, recently wrote about the challenges that so often force bright young minds to give up on their schooling, “It is not that they are incapable, it’s because of the environment they grew up in. Every person comes to this world with a certain ability or talent – we need an educational system that will help Scholars to discover and nurture their abilities, trigger creativity and stimulate innovation.”
Finally, we must recognize and nurture young Africans’ sense of purpose and deep desire to improve the lives of others.
A number of institutions – such as Arizona State University, Ashesi University, the University of Pretoria and the University of Cape Town – are already working to change the way in which we think about education and how we shape transformative leaders.
Their efforts are paying dividends as their students contribute new solutions to old problems.
Like Kpetermeni Siakor at Ashesi University College, who is helping health authorities in his native Liberia to understand the technology gaps in the country’s healthcare system in order to stop Ebola in its tracks.
Or Miranda Nyathi at the University of Cape Town, a young woman from South Africa’s townships who founded Mathmahelp, a DVD series designed to raise test scores and increase college admissions in low-income school districts.
And Fatty Al Ansar, who grew up in northern Mali’s refugee camps and who would dress as a boy to secretly attend class, but today studies human rights at Trinity College in the United States. And who, brick by brick, is hard at work building a school for her country’s nomad girls.
The MasterCard Foundation is betting on the transformative power of Africa’s next-generation leaders. We believe these next-generation leaders will mobilize others to act, correct inequities and inspire others to action.
Young innovators like Kpetermeni, Miranda and Fatty will spark ideas and set us on the path of finding new solutions to old problems.
By Reeta Roy, CEO MasterCard Foundation Africa
Reeta Roy is President and CEO of The MasterCard Foundation. She will be the keynote speaker at the Talloires Network Leaders Conference in Cape Town this week.
African Eye News.com
