NGO to empower 10 million African girls
President and Chief Executive Officer of Junior Achievement Africa, Simi Nwogugu, has announced the launch of a campaign to equip 10 million girls across Africa with entrepreneurship, leadership and advocacy skills.
The plan, he said, is to build thriving and sustainable communities, eliminate extreme poverty and reduce gender-based violence in sub-Saharan Africa.
The campaign, tagged ‘10 Million African Girls (10MAG), is a call to action for governments, corporations, foundations, civil society organisations serving girls, and individuals across Africa and the globe to partner with JA Africa to improve access to better quality education and economic participation opportunities for girls and young women in marginalised communities across Africa.
A statement on Sunday disclosed that the 10MAG campaign will address critical challenges faced by girls and young women in Africa, which include high rates of child marriage and adolescent births, especially in West and Central Africa, where only 33 per cent of girls complete high school, and one in seven girls, and in some cases three in ten girls, are married before the age of 14.
“Even the young women lucky enough to finish their education and launch businesses have a tougher time getting access to financing required to grow their businesses – only 2 per cent of venture capital funding in Africa went to women-led start-ups in 2024,” the statement said.
The campaign launch coincided with the graduation ceremony of 52 girls from seven African countries – Eswatini, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – participating in the LEAD Camp in Accra during the first week of March.
“LEAD stands for Leadership, Empowerment, Achievement and Development, and is a week-long programme that empowers high-achieving girls to become leaders in their communities and countries. The camp, which is sponsored by Delta Air Lines, featured female volunteers from the airline and accomplished women from various industries, who served as role models to the girls and reinforced JA Africa’s commitment to building a mindset and skill set for future success in each girl,” it was said.
Managing Director–Community Engagement, Delta Air Lines, Tad Hutcheson, said, “We are proud to support the LEAD Camp and the 10MAG Campaign, as they represent a huge step toward empowering young girls across Africa.”
10MAG, conceived by Nwogugu as part of her Aspen Global Leadership Network fellowship, is designed to raise funding and support for multiple programmes aimed at empowering young girls and women.
