Akili Dada fostering female leadership in Africa: a conversation with Diana Njuguna

Diana Njuguna, Deputy Program Mananger at the Kenya-based NGO, Akili Dada.

The call to support the African girl child and empower women in general, has never been more condensed as now. Africans at home and abroad are rising with a unity of purpose to create a more peaceful and prosperous future where every member of society is treated equally regardless of gender.

From north to south, west to east, governments, civil societies, religious organizations, and indeed women and rights groups have placed highly on promoting the girl child education, gender balance in decision-making ranks including equal opportunities to foster economic independence.

Akili Dada, uplifting African female leadership

The Kenya-based award-winning international leadership incubator has continued to lay a foundation for an Africa where females will be at the core of leadership. With a fast-growing network in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya, Akili Dada is cultivating transformative leadership in girls and young women to address the urgent need for African women in leadership. Its inclusive leadership development model creates a window of opportunity for girls and young women aged from 13 to 35 to acquire essential skills that are prerequisites to occupying key decision-making leadership positions.

Throughout its series of feminist podcasts, discussions, and high-profile engagements, the organization proves that building the capacity of Africa’s most innovative young women, presupposes the meeting of the urgent need for more African women in leadership. This need is tied to an overarching need for a leadership that promotes justice for all.

During a remote interview with Angelina Ngunje, Team lead at Ambitious Africa Education, Akili Dada’s Deputy Program Manager Diana Njuguna explained how the organization has always managed to create awareness of its programs. Diana Njuguna, an innovative, well-read woman with a wealth of experience in NGO work including program management, highlighted the operational framework for Akili Dada how it informs its target audience starting from program development.

“We work with girls and young women from underserved backgrounds, to address the urgent need of African women in leadership. We employ four strategies: financial investment, capacity building, mentoring, and leadership development. And then we build a movement and apply advocacy and communication as one of the strategies.  For us, how we focus on informing our target audience is when we're developing our programs. We ensure it is fully focused on being girl-centered. We always go back to the ground to ensure that the information we are picking up to develop the program is from the target group or the target audience that we are trying to build their capacities in leadership,” she said.

Programs at Akili Dada are developed from the gaps and needs of the target audience, which suggests possible solutions to anything of public concern. The 15-year-old NGO tailors its life-changing programs with a focus on education, leadership, innovation, comprehensive and age-appropriate health, and human rights education, social entrepreneurship, civic participation, political engagement and leadership, 21st-century skills training, mentorship, holistic services, participatory and inclusive models, service learning, social innovation, and youth economic opportunities.

With much emphasis on the girl-centeredness of Akili Dada programs, Diana also pointed out the role discussions and webinars play in creating a mentorship ripple effect among girls and young women. She also underscored how Akili Dada leverages social handles while connecting girls and young women with established female leaders for purposes of bridging knowledge and generation gaps. Akili Dada incubates leadership in girls and young women by identifying their capabilities, talents, and hobbies, which are worked on using education, mentorship, and financial assistance as tools.

“We provide financial help to the girls and young women from the underserved populations. This would be through high school, and we ensure they continue with high school education. We also bridge the gap of helping them to transition from high school to tertiary education. This would be through the provision of exchange opportunities,” said Diana.

The NGO partners with local universities, colleges, and institutes to ensure girls have access to tertiary education which increases one’s opportunities and income level. Through the incubation program, Akili Dada meets girls during their transitioning periods and provides them with support according to their age, perceived capabilities, and needs. Interest change is fostered by encouraging girls to take up leadership roles from as low as being a school prefect to anything their interest and capabilities could support.

Diana Njuguna, a multifaceted role model

Besides serving as a successful, ever-present at work Deputy Programs Manager, Diana Njuguna is a founder at Indulgence Africa, a shining online fashion store. Asked how she manages to shine at Akili Dada, Indulgence Africa, and in her personal life, she says planning and prioritizing are key elements of a successful life.

“What helps me is planning and prioritizing. I think I'm a planner by nature. So planning is something that I enjoy doing and it's something that I do even subconsciously.”

Diana says she is a firm believer in work-life balance; adding that planning helps her achieve more with less stress from unexpected daily events:

Overall, listening to Diana Njuguna recount her educational background, work experiences, corporate networks and her daily work at Akili Dada and Indulgence Africa is an inspiration and challenge to work extra hard. She may not have achieved all her dreams but her current contributions both to NGO work and business epitomize a successful woman.

A positive female figure whose life story, work devotion, sphere of influence, and planning strategies speak to what girls and young women can become if rendered all the support needed.

By Ollus Ndomu. Interview by Angelina Ngunje