The Mastercard Foundation has announced that it will be hosting two events at the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79) on September 22, 2024. Both gatherings will address the critical issues of girls’ education and women’s economic empowerment in Africa and will be held at the Millenium Hilton New York.
The events will be held under the themes Powering Parity – Inclusive Education for a Sustainable Future and Invincible: Empowering Women, Transforming Africa. According to the Mastercard Foundation, the events will showcase successful educational models and explore solutions to create a more equitable economic landscape for women in Africa.
Various stakeholders including education ministries, multilateral institutions, and donors, are expected to take part in the convention. Confirmed attendees include Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie, Minister of Technical and Higher Education for Sierra Leone, Prof. Birhanu Nega, Minister of Education for Ethiopia, and Hon. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy for Nigeria.
Panelists will include experts in finance, policy, and development, including the Hon. Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim, Minister for Youth Development in Nigeria, and Deniece Laurent-Mantey, Executive Director of the POTUS Africa Diaspora Advisory Council at the White House. They will drive discussions on transforming financial systems to benefit women.
“Powering Parity—Inclusive Education for a Sustainable Future” will focus on effective strategies and programs to improve young African women’s learning access, outcomes, and transitions to and from secondary education. The session will also include an important announcement on the expansion of a key Mastercard Foundation partnership focused on initiatives for girls and young women,” said Tina Muparadzi, Executive Director of Education and Transitions at the Mastercard Foundation.
Reeta Roy, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation, noted the importance of this work saying, “Yet, we have every reason to be optimistic, thanks to the extraordinary African educators and innovators, who have created solutions and are delivering quality education to young people,” says Roy. “Expanding access to all has been at the heart of the Foundation’s work. At these events, education champions will be sharing insights about successful policies and programs from across Africa with each other. Working together, we can scale these solutions and remove barriers for all, especially for girls and young women.”