Nkemnita Nkemdili

Nigerian education reformer establishing free schools for marginalized girls

Nkemnita Nkemdili (b. 1978) is a transformative educator who founded the Rising Voices Network, a system of 45 boarding schools across Nigeria providing free education to girls from impoverished backgrounds. Her 2005 initiative introduced STEM-focused curricula in rural areas, increasing female enrollment in engineering programs from 8% to 42% nationally by 2020.

As a former child bride herself, Nkemdili's 2012 documentary Breaking Chains exposed child marriage practices, leading to Nigeria's 2013 anti-child-marriage law. Her 《Girls Who Code Nigeria》 program has trained 12,000 girls in coding, with 60% securing tech-sector jobs.

In 2018, she pioneered mobile classroom units using solar-powered tablets, reaching 50,000+ girls in conflict zones. Her partnership with UNICEF's Girls' Education Project expanded access to menstrual hygiene products in schools, reducing absenteeism by 70%. Nkemnili's TEDx talk Education as Revolution inspired similar programs in Kenya and Cameroon. She was named Africa's Most Influential Woman by Forbes in 2021.