Simi Nwogugu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Junior Achievement (JA) Africa, has launched a strategic initiative aimed at empowering ten million girls throughout Africa with essential skills in entrepreneurship, leadership, and advocacy.
Dubbed , 10 Million African Girls campaign, the initiative seeks to promote sustainable communities, address extreme poverty, and mitigate instances of gender-based violence in sub-Saharan Africa.
The 10 Million African Girls campaign represents a significant call to action directed toward governments, corporations, foundations, civil society organizations, and individuals globally. It invites collaboration with JA Africa to enhance access to quality education and economic opportunities for girls and young women residing in marginalized communities.
The campaign is poised to tackle critical challenges including the high rates of child marriage and adolescent pregnancies prevalent across the continent. Notably, in West and Central Africa, only 33% of girls complete high school, and one in seven, or some regions, three in ten girls are married before reaching the age of 14. Moreover, young women who attain education and establish businesses often face considerable obstacles in securing the necessary financing for growth; a mere 2% of venture capital funding in Africa was allocated to women-led start-ups in 2024.
The campaign’s launch coincided with a graduation ceremony for 52 girls from seven African nations—Eswatini, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe—who participated in the LEAD Camp held in Accra during the first week of March. LEAD stands for Leadership, Empowerment, Achievement, and Development. This week-long program is designed to equip high-achieving girls with the tools essential for effective leadership in their communities and nations.
Sponsored by Delta Air Lines, the camp featured female volunteers from the airline as well as accomplished women from various sectors, who served as role models and reinforced JA Africa’s commitment to cultivating mindsets and skill sets conducive to future success for each participant.
Tad Hutcheson, Managing Director of Community Engagement at Delta Air Lines, stated, “We take great pride in supporting the LEAD Camp and the 10 Million African GirlS campaign, which symbolizes a critical step toward empowering young girls across Africa.”
Empowering Young Women through Education and Opportunity
The 10 Million African Girls initiative, conceived by Simi Nwogugu as part of her fellowship with the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN), is strategically designed to secure funding and support for various programs aimed at empowering young girls and women. In conjunction with JA’s existing programs, the campaign will also endorse initiatives from other nonprofit organizations dedicated to serving marginalized girls across the continent.
The official launch of the 10 Million African Girls campaign took place on March 8, 2025, in Accra, Ghana, alongside a certification ceremony that inducted LEAD Camp participants as the inaugural cohort of the 10 Million African Girls network. This network will provide ongoing mentorship, resources, and opportunities to facilitate the advancement of their leadership and entrepreneurial journeys.
Simi Nwogugu asserted, “Africa cannot realize its full potential if half of its youth population is denied access to quality education and economic engagement opportunities. The objective of the 10 Million African Girls campaign is to mobilize action that equips young women with the tools necessary to drive economic growth and elevate themselves and their communities out of poverty. They will assume leadership roles that enable them to create essential social safety nets for subsequent generations. We extend an invitation to businesses, governments, NGOs, and individuals who share this vision to join us in developing an Africa where all young people, regardless of gender, can realize their full potential.”
Through this campaign, JA Africa aims to inspire and prepare young individuals throughout the continent to succeed within a global economy.
By providing hands-on, immersive learning experiences in critical areas such as work readiness, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, sustainability, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), economics, citizenship, and ethics, the organization empowers young individuals to advance their entrepreneurial ideas, refine their workforce skills, manage their finances effectively, and secure improved futures for themselves, their families, and their communities.
JA Africa operates in 23 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and reaches over one million youth annually, thereby making a significant impact on their lives and futures.
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