Lydiah Kemunto Bosire on inequality and higher education

Transcript

LYDIAH KEMUNTO BOSIRE: It matters a great deal to have as many Africans in global spaces of influence as we can.

[Colorful images of Dambisa Moyo, Zambia, Oxford University. Kofi Annan, Ghana, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nigeria, Yale University.]

With a focus on African human capital, Africa can be an equal player in the 21st century.

[Inequality is logo. A graphic black equal sign with an orange slash through it. #InequalityIs. Lydiah Kemunto Bosire, founder, 8B Education Investment Fund. A Black woman with an Afro hairstyle, wearing multiple strands of pearls around her neck and a herringbone green skirt suit.]

Inequality is the fact that Africa has one of the lowest enrollment rates in tertiary education in the world. An even starker number is enrollment of African students in global universities. In the United States students have access to financing. The market does not cater to African students. They’re considered to be too high-risk. We need philanthropy to remove the risk premium that is placed on African students, and make them an investable proposition. The impact of educating an African student, and enrolling African students in leading global universities, is not just for the students themselves. They will provide remittances to the community from which they come, manage global supply chains, mobilize investment resources, and solve the problems of their societies. That is the impact of investing in a student. All prosperous societies have a critical mass of highly educated leaders who are connected, who bring ideas and translate them to local experience. Africa is no exception.

[Colorful images of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Patrick Awuah, Ghana, University of California, Berkeley. Navi Pillay, South Africa, Harvard University. Daniel Yohannes, Ethiopia, Pepperdine University.]

These are the people who will steer the African continent to prosperity.

[Inequality Is Logo. Join the conversation. #InequalityIs.]

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