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Njideka Harry

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Njideka Harry
Njideka Harry at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Davos, Switzerland
Born
Ibadan, Nigeria
Alma mater
Websiteyouthfortechnology.org

Njideka Françoise Harry is a World Economic Forum Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Fellow.

Early life and education

Harry was born in Ibadan to a Nigerian father and American mother.[1] When the Biafra war broke out, her father won a scholarship to study in the United States which is where he met and married her mother.[2] She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.[2][3] After graduating, she began working for General Electric, and lived/worked in Europe and in the U.S. [2] Harry left GE and began a career at Microsoft, where she founded YTF in 2000.[2] It is a nonprofit that uses technology to improve the lives of young people and women in developing countries.[4] Harry is particularly worried about the state of education in Africa as the system is not just broken, but obsolete. She envisions technology as an enabler.[5][6]

Career

Harry founded Youth for Technology Foundation in 2001, funded by the Nigerian Government Community Investment Fund and Microsoft Community Affairs Program.[2] She began a Reuters Digital Vision Fellowship at Stanford University in 2004. She worked alongside Megan Smith.[2] Harry was invited to join the Board of the Community Technology Centers Network, where she would meet her mentors Don Samuelson and Stephen Ronan.[2] She earned a Master of Business Administration at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.[2][7] She was inspired by fellow MBA classmates to extend the YTF to Colombia.[2] YTF Academy teaches youth and women to use technology in education and entrepreneurship.[2] In 2007, YTF began working in the technology and entrepreneurship space when the organization partnered with the United Nations Development Programme to launch a program to train women entrepreneurs in the Niger Delta in Nigeria.[2]

In 2011 she was nominated into the Ashoka Fellowship as an Ashoka Fellow.[8] She launched the Women Entrepreneurs and Mobile Value Added Services in 2012 which provides funding, training and networking opportunities to thousands of young women.[2] The program is supported by Mastercard.[2] She partnered with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women in 2013.[9]

Harry is keen on 3D printing.[10] She launched 3D Africa, an educational program that provides training for unemployed African engineers, in 2015.[11] The engineers learn skills in computer-aided design, robotics, IoT, programming and entrepreneurship.[12] The program has been funded by GE, Makerbot, Autodesk and WeTech (Women Enhancing Technology).[13] Recognizing that girls were reluctant to commit to the after school clubs, Harry launched "3D Africa for Girls" to teach girls human centered design and production.[14] The Clinton Global Initiative selected YTF as a commitment partner (Clinton Foundation) in 2016 to launch an initiative providing training to 6,000 girls who are out-of-school in Nigeria.[15] YTF is collaborating with schools in Nigeria and Kenya to develop physical and virtual maker spaces that allow young entrepreneurs to prototype their ideas.[16]

Harry is on the advisory board of the council for Women of West Africa and Entrepreneurship and Promoting Readiness in Science and Math.[17][18][19][20] She is a World Economic Forum Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Fellow.[9][16][21][22][23]

References

  1. ^ "NJIDEKA HARRY'S QUEST TO MAKE THE STATE AND OUTCOME OF RURAL FARMING APPEALING TO RURAL WOMEN | Aim Higher Africa". aimhigherafrica.com. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harry, Njideka (2015). "Pioneering the Youth and Technology Movement in Africa and Beyond (Case Narrative)". Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization. 10 (1–2): 61–73. doi:10.1162/inov_a_00230. ISSN 1558-2477.
  3. ^ Journo, Pro (2013-04-15). "Youth for Technology Foundation: Reinvigorating Rural Communities through Reverse Migration & Youth Empowerment". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  4. ^ "President and CEO of Youth for Technology Foundation". newsroom.mastercard.com. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  5. ^ "Q&A: 60 seconds with Njideka Harry - Youth for Technology Foundation". Youth for Technology Foundation. 2015-07-31. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  6. ^ Wall, Matthew (2014-07-01). "Africa mobile boom powers innovation". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  7. ^ Langen, Sara. "'A life-changing experience'". Kellogg. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  8. ^ "Njideka Harry". Ashoka | Everyone a Changemaker. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  9. ^ a b "Njideka Harry | Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship". www.schwabfound.org. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  10. ^ "YTF Founder, Njideka Harry, talks inclusivity and entrepreurship in tech". Ventures Africa. 2016-12-30. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  11. ^ "International Women's Day 2017: 42 most influential women in 3D printing". 3ders.org. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  12. ^ "3D Africa". 3dafrica.org. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  13. ^ "Youth For Technology's 3D Africa Program Wants To Get More Girls Into STEM Subjects". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  14. ^ "Interview - Njideka Harry, President of @YouthForTech: "Talent is universal but opportunity is not; [ hence the need to grasp the opportunity offered by #3dprinting]" | 3D ADEPT MEDIA". 3D ADEPT MEDIA. 2018-06-15. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  15. ^ "3D Printing: Freedom from Human Trafficking for Girls". Clinton Foundation. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  16. ^ a b "Africa's inspiring innovators show what the future could hold". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  17. ^ "Njideka Harry". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  18. ^ "Latest on Women of West Africa Entrepreneurship - . Read on BellaNaija - August 6, 2018". BellaNaija. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  19. ^ "Africa Week: Youth for Technology Presentation by Njideka Harry - Africa Business Club". kellogg.campusgroups.com. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  20. ^ "Njideka Harry is transforming lives of youths in developing countries - Feminine Nigeria". Feminine Nigeria. 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  21. ^ World Economic Forum (2017-05-29), Njideka Harry | Equipping youth with digital knowledge and skills for employment, retrieved 2018-08-06
  22. ^ World Economic Forum (2015-06-05), Njideka Harry, President and Chief Executive Officer, Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF) at #af15, retrieved 2018-08-06
  23. ^ Caruba, Lauren. "Kellogg alumni named 'Social Entrepreneurs of the Year'". dailynorthwestern.com. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
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