Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management (Thunderbird), home of the world’s No. 1 ranked Master’s in Management, ranked No.1 for innovation in the U.S., today announced that its transformative new global initiative will be available to learners in Africa through the school’s Nairobi Center of Excellence.
Launched in Phoenix earlier this year, the Global Initiative is designed to educate and empower 100 million learners by 2030. Thanks to a historic $25 million donation from the Francis and Dionne Najafi Global Initiative, Thunderbird will offer an online Global Management and Entrepreneurship Certificate, consisting of five world-class courses in 40 different languages, including Swahili.
The certificate will be covered by full scholarships and thus will be made available at no cost to learners due to the philanthropic support undergirding the initiative. Learners can pre-register at www.100millionlearners.org to be among the first to be notified when courses are released in the desired language. Starting April 8, 2022, the first course will be available in English.
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Speaking on behalf of H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta, Amb. Amina Mohammed, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage noted,
“Kenya and the world are experiencing increased inequalities, that are actively displacing people from jobs, widening already existing digital divides and threatening the fabrics of our democracies.
To address these emerging challenges, my government is investing in digital transformation and expanding our investments in the new infrastructures that drive technology.
We are also, witnessing an increase in the hiring of our leading talents, by the world’s most valuable firms in the areas of data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cyber security as the firms advance their efforts towards food systems, fintech, and autonomous vehicles.
While the existing foundations for a resilient technological revolution are essential, the most critical investment will be in our human capital.
Accordingly, our workforce must be skilled, re-skilled, and upskilled, to match the knowledge offered by our institutions of learning, with the needs of the labor market.
In this regard, I would like to thank the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, for taking the bold step of curating the Francis and Dionne Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative.”
Thunderbird Director General and Dean, Dr. Sanjeev Khagram, says:
“We are opening the door to Africa through Nairobi to drive regional transformation through our 100 Million Learners program to educate and empower learners throughout the continent, whether it be women, entrepreneurs, or refugees. Education can transform lives, and my life is an example of that.”
“Kenya is my motherland. My mother was born in Kitale – she never finished high school but sacrificed so I could have a world-class education which transformed my life.
I want every one of my sisters and brothers in Kenya, East Africa, and Africa to realize their full potential – that is why the Najafi 100million Learners Initiative means so much to me personally.”
The event in Nairobi to announce the regional launch of the program was attended by Amb. Amina Mohammed, Cabinet Secretary of Sports, Culture & Heritage on behalf of H.E President Uhuru Kenyatta, Republic of Kenya; Eng. John Tanui, Chief Executive Officer, Konza Technopolis Development Authority; and Dr. Sanjeev Khagram, Dean and Director General, Thunderbird School of Global Management.
“Our lives were transformed by access to quality education at Thunderbird and we wanted to extend that same transformative experience to people around the world who lack access to quality education,”
said the Najafis.
“We are excited and deeply humbled to be part of such a bold initiative.”
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Learners in the Francis and Dionne Najafi Global Initiative will receive a digital badge for each course they complete and a Thunderbird executive education certificate upon successful completion of all five courses.
They will gain 21st-century skill sets to catapult their professional careers. Learners will also have an almost limitless number of lifelong learning options and alternative educational pathways through Thunderbird and ASU, and may even apply for an accredited 15-unit certificate from ASU Thunderbird upon completion.
Educating 100 million learners by 2030 will require a strategic, phased approach. In year one, the Global Initiative aims to reach learners in Kenya, India, Colombia, Iran, Mexico, Indonesia, Egypt, Senegal, Brazil, and Vietnam in ten languages. By year two, the program will be expanded across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America to at least 25 languages.
By year four or earlier, the Global Initiative will have expanded to Europe and Central Asia and 40 total languages—thus available for learners worldwide. Eventually, the initiative will be available for all learners around the world, reaching our goal of 100 million learners.
The United Nations estimates that the COVID-19 pandemic has erased 20 years’ worth of educational gains and digital online education has accelerated and expanded dramatically to fill the gap.
In addition, the uncertainty and disruption that has come to characterize this era of rapid technological change have displaced many workers and professionals all over the world, increasing the need for upskilling and reskilling to seize the immense opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“As a strong partner in this great initiative, Konza Technopolis, a part of Vision 2030 aims to contribute to Kenya’s transformation agenda and to bring in new economic aspects into our country, especially in innovation, technology, and knowledge economy.
100 Million Learners will help in creating opportunities for employment, wealth and advancing our GDP as a country leveraging on emerging technology”,
Eng. John Tanui, CEO Konza Technopolis Development Authority.
