By Adam Goodbody
Founders’ Associate, Oppidan mentor

How many girls does it take to change the continent of Africa?

One.

It takes just one talented STEM student armed with excellent A-Levels, ready for the world’s best universities, to change the continent of Africa.

Those were the words of Tom Ilube CBE, Founder and Chair of the African Science Academy, the central project of the African Gifted Foundation. One of the leading educational institutions on the whole continent, the Academy is on a mission to find exceptional girls from across Africa and prepare them for A-Levels in Maths, Further Maths and Physics in just 10 months.

At ASA, it isn’t just one girl, it’s 40 per year.

When I was 18 and traveled to Ghana to teach EFL in the Kwahu plateau, I fell in love with the place and its people. Last week, I visited ASA, based just outside Accra, Ghana’s capital, for the first time, to run a peer mentor training programme for its students. It was my proudest moment in an Oppidan t-shirt.

On the following day, the school was visit by her Excellency the First Lady of Ghana, Rebecca Akuffo Addo. I heard assembled guests speak about the institution's power and future vision. One girl spoke of her joy at being accepted, having seen her sister committed to a forced marriage.

In the room, there were twelve African countries represented. Girls from across Africa, coming together to change the continent for the better.

People say “I was truly humbled” a lot. Sitting in that room, I felt it.

At Oppidan we are committed to developing partnerships with the world’s leading educational institutions, to ensure that every child has a mentor who inspires and challenges them. This was, and is, one of those institutions.

A personal thank you to the whole team at ASA: Gifty Ghansah (Head teacher) and her team. It was a huge privilege to be there, and we hope to return very soon.

School Visits

I was equally honoured to visit International Community School, Ghana and its managing director, Charles Yeboah, PhD and The Roman Ridge School led by Valerie Mainoo. Both schools are trailblazing a focus on character development and mentoring and it was wonderful to see students in action: an intense football game at ICS, and an ‘International Culture Day’ at Roman Ridge.

On the final day, I hosted a panel event at the British Council in Accra on mentoring, for school leaders and parents with Elaine Walker, Clarissa Farr and Dr Yeboah. A key topic of conversation was assessment and how we can better measure character skills within the curriculum.

Everywhere I went in Ghana, I was humbled by the deep-rooted Ghanaian belief in the power of education to change society for the better. Whilst the country faces great challenges, people I met were buoyant with energy, loving, open and welcoming.

Full of Jollof rice and Banku, I have returned inspired.