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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] She is married to Telema Udemezue Harry, with whom she has three daughters.

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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