LAGOS, Nigeria, May 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Muhammad Sanusi II SDG Innovation Challenge that empowers teachers with innovative solutions to bridge the gender gap in education has become a beacon of hope for raising more future leaders in Africa.
The initiative which is being coordinated by His Highness Muhammad Sanusi, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria in partnership with Canada’s 1Million Teachers has as its focus SDG4, inclusive, equitable equality education and SDG 5 gender equity.
The potential of the innovation challenge in opening up opportunities for access to qualitative education was highlighted at the initiative’s April fire-side chat which had Co-UN SDG advocates including the President of Ghana, One Million Teachers Board of Trustees, other stakeholders, policymakers and world leaders in attendance.
The need to upscale the initiative to accommodate more entries in consecutive cohorts was also expounded by HH Muhammad Sanusi, with an acknowledgement from President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana.
Still grooming its first cohort of 10 teachers with 10 projects, the project was established as a call to action for teachers – especially female teachers across Africa. Together with 1 million Teachers and partners, particularly Queens University in Kingston Ontario Canada.
The HH MS-II challenge is designed starting with the objective of improved equitable cost-effective, safe and coordinated provision of innovative, quality, gender-responsive education, especially for girls and to empower teachers in sub-Saharan Africa to experiment with innovative, scalable educational programme and practices by providing funding, training and incubation and exposure.
”It is designed to create a supportive environment that helps accelerate the development of their solutions and spread the benefits of the broader community to ensure greater and wider impact and access greater funding to enable development at scale,” HH Sanusi explained.
President Akudo-Addo echoed his personal belief that: We cannot develop our continent, nor achieve the Africa we want with an uneducated population; we cannot eliminate poverty on our continent if people are uneducated.
The HH MS-II Innovation Challenge hopes to use the ideas of the pilot cohort as proof of concept, to show how with these innovations qualitative education can be delivered to the less-privileged segments of the society.
Some of the benefits of the participation included: an initial grant, showcasing and testing of their concepts and an initial 8-month incubator programme along with follow-up individual and group coaching and mentorship led by 1Million Teachers.
Media Contact
Opeyemi Aladejbi
07056362482
308936@email4pr.com
SOURCE Muhammad Sanusi II
