The Board of Directors of Junior Achievement Africa has announced the appointment of Simi Nwogugu as the new chief executive officer of JA Africa, effective November 2020.
Nwogugu until this appointment was the executive director of Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN).
According to a statement sighted by BusinessDay, Nwogugu brings to her new role valuable entrepreneurship and consulting knowledge and 23 years of experience at JA including as a volunteer, board member, and executive director of JA Nigeria.
As CEO of JA Africa, Simi will provide leadership and strategic execution for JA’s youth development agenda in Africa. She will drive JA’s regional initiatives and programmes, including the organisation’s expansion into new markets while securing the partnerships and resources needed for JA’s education and digital skills development programmes on the continent.
Simi Nwogugu while reacting to her appointment, acknowledged that the new role offers her an exciting opportunity to work more closely with colleagues on the continent to deepen and expand JA’s mission of empowering young Africans for a successful future.
“I am grateful to the JA Africa and JA Worldwide board of directors for entrusting me with this responsibility. I look forward to working with stakeholders and partners to make their vision a reality,” she remarked, stating that JA invests in and believes strongly in Africa’s youth development, as it seeks to contribute to achieving the Global Goals (SDGs) on the continent. “It is my goal to increase the impact of our work to significantly reduce youth unemployment and poverty across the continent.”
A graduate of Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and Harvard Business School, Nwogugu is a Goldman Sachs alumna. She also holds a professional certificate in Organizational and Executive Coaching from New York University.
Born and raised in Nigeria, Simi helped bring JA to the country in 1999. JA Nigeria has since grown to become one of the strongest JA member countries in Africa, reaching 1 million youth across Africa’s most populous nation. In recent years, JA Nigeria has been particularly focused on communities in northern Nigeria, especially youth displaced by the Boko Haram crisis. Read more about Simi’s career and JAN’s impact at jaworldwide.org/news/simi-nwogugu-appointed-ja-africa-ceo.
JA Africa Board Chair, Charles Olumuyiwa Moyela said, “Simi’s appointment as CEO of JA Africa is timely and heralds a new era of growth and accelerated development for JA in Africa. She comes well prepared for the tasks ahead and is poised to scale up and surpass the laudable accomplishments of the JA Nigeria team, which she led passionately.”
“As the lingering aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic begins to redefine the global landscape and opportunity space for jobs and work, Simi’s leadership, energy, vision, and partnership credentials will be pivotal to the delivery of JA’s work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship offerings to Africa’s fast-growing youth population,” Moyela further remarked.
The JA Africa network currently spans 14 countries, namely, Botswana, eSwatini, Gabon, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. JA programs and activities in The Gambia, Mozambique, Namibia, and Rwanda are scheduled to be flagged off in 2021.
Asheesh Advani, CEO of JA Worldwide, sees Simi as a natural fit in her new role. “JA helps prepare entrepreneurial leaders for the global economy. Simi is a leader of leaders with a proven track record of serving the youth of Nigeria, and we are delighted to have her join the Senior Leadership Team of JA Worldwide and oversee JA Africa,” Advani said.
The leading nonprofit organisation, which marked its 100th year anniversary in 2019, reaches over 250,000 African youth each year, equipping Africa’s fast-expanding youth population with the knowledge and skills required to start their own businesses, succeed in the global job market, and make sound financial decisions as adults.
JA’s mandate in Africa, and globally, aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDGs 4, 8, and 17.
