Njideka Harry
Njideka Harry | |
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![]() Njideka Harry at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Davos, Switzerland | |
Born | |
Alma mater | University of Massachusetts at Amherst Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University |
Employer | Youth for Technology Foundation |
Website | www.youthfortechnology.org |
Njideka Harry is the founder and chief executive officer at the Youth for Technology Foundation. She 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.[2] She studied 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 Youth for Technology Foundation in 2000.[2] Youth for Technology Foundation 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]. She is married to Telema Harry and they have 3 daughters.
Career
Harry founded Youth for Technology Foundation in 2001, funded by the Nigerian government Community Investment Fund and the 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 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 Youth for Technology Foundation to Colombia.[2] The Youth for Technology 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 made an Ashoka Fellow.[8] As a fellow, she developed the Agricultural Platform Offering Women Empowerment Resources (Agric-P.O.W.E.R), which provides rural women farmers with skills and technology that allows them to connect to other farmers and receive up-to-date market information.[9] It allows farmers and industry to list buy-and-sell offers, partnering with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture to lead training on techniques.[1] She launched the Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs and Mobile Value Added Services in 2012 which provides funding, training and networking opportunities to thousands of young women in 12 African states.[2] The program is supported by Mastercard.[2] She partnered with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women in 2013. Harry's efforts have reached almost 1.4 million youth and women.[10]
Harry is passionate about emerging technologies and 3D printing.[11] She launched 3D Africa, an educational program that provides training for unemployed African engineers, in 2015.[12] The engineers learn skills in computer-aided design and business.[13] The program was funded by WeTech (Women Enhancing Technology).[14] 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.[15] She collaborated with the Clinton Foundation in 2016 to launch an initiative providing training to 6,000 girls who are out-of-school in Nigeria.[16] YTF is collaborating with Nigerian universities to develop maker spaces that allow young entrepreneurs to prototype their ideas through 3D Africa clubs.[17]
Harry is on the advisory board of the council for Women of West Africa and Entrepreneurship and Promoting Readiness in Science and Math.[18][19][20][21] She is a World Economic Forum Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Fellow.[10][17][22][23][24]
References
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Journo, Pro (2013-04-15). "Youth for Technology Foundation: Reinvigorating Rural Communities through Reverse Migration & Youth Empowerment". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ "President and CEO of Youth for Technology Foundation". newsroom.mastercard.com. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ "Q&A: 60 seconds with Njideka Harry - Youth for Technology Foundation". Youth for Technology Foundation. 2015-07-31. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ Wall, Matthew (2014-07-01). "Africa mobile boom powers innovation". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ Langen, Sara. "'A life-changing experience'". Kellogg. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ "Njideka Harry". Ashoka | Everyone a Changemaker. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ "Agric-P.O.W.E.R. - Youth for Technology Foundation". Youth for Technology Foundation. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ a b "Njideka Harry | Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship". www.schwabfound.org. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ "YTF Founder, Njideka Harry, talks inclusivity and entrepreurship in tech". Ventures Africa. 2016-12-30. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ "International Women's Day 2017: 42 most influential women in 3D printing". 3ders.org. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ "3D Africa". 3dafrica.org. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ "Youth For Technology's 3D Africa Program Wants To Get More Girls Into STEM Subjects". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "3D Printing: Freedom from Human Trafficking for Girls". Clinton Foundation. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ a b "Africa's inspiring innovators show what the future could hold". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ "Njideka Harry". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ "Latest on Women of West Africa Entrepreneurship - . Read on BellaNaija - August 6, 2018". BellaNaija. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ "Africa Week: Youth for Technology Presentation by Njideka Harry - Africa Business Club". kellogg.campusgroups.com. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ "Njideka Harry is transforming lives of youths in developing countries - Feminine Nigeria". Feminine Nigeria. 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
- ^ World Economic Forum (2017-05-29), Njideka Harry | Equipping youth with digital knowledge and skills for employment, retrieved 2018-08-06
- ^ World Economic Forum (2015-06-05), Njideka Harry, President and Chief Executive Officer, Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF) at #af15, retrieved 2018-08-06
- ^ Caruba, Lauren. "Kellogg alumni named 'Social Entrepreneurs of the Year'". dailynorthwestern.com. Retrieved 2018-08-06.