Fred Swaniker

Last updated
Frederick Kenneth Swaniker
Fred Swaniker - PopTech 2015 - Camden, Maine.jpg
Born1976 (age 47–48)
Ghana
NationalityGhanaian
Alma mater Macalester College
Stanford Graduate School of Business
Occupations
  • Entrepreneur
  • educator
Known forCo-founder of African Leadership Academy, African Leadership University, Sand Technologies
Website ALX Africa

Fred Swaniker (born 1976) is a Ghanaian serial entrepreneur and leadership development expert, focused on supporting individuals to achieve their goals. Swaniker recognized the importance of leadership and education while serving as the headmaster of a secondary school founded by his mother at the age of 17. He believed that effective leadership was a key factor needed to drive transformation in Africa. He then founded African Leadership Group, which tries to develop ethical, entrepreneurial African leaders.

Contents

He has founded and led the pre-university African Leadership Academy based in South Africa, the African Leadership University with campuses in Mauritius and Rwanda, ALX, and Sand Technologies, aspiring to transform Africa by developing 3 million African leaders by 2035.

In 2019, Time magazine recognized him as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World" and Fast Company included African Leadership Group among the 50 most innovative companies in the world. [1]  

Early life and education

His father was a lawyer and magistrate, and his mother, an educator. Both are Ghanaian, but when he was 4 his family fled Ghana after the military coup and had lived in four countries in Africa by the time he was 18. [2] He attended Macalester College in Minnesota and the Stanford Graduate School of Business in California, [3] where he received an MBA and was named an Arjay Miller Scholar.

Career

While at Stanford, Swaniker wrote the business plan for African Leadership Academy, a pan-African school that would groom the future leaders of Africa. This was based on his belief that the single largest impediment to Africa's progress was the lack of good leadership. [4] He leveraged his Silicon Valley connections to find financial backing and launched the Academy immediately after graduating in 2004. [3] The full-time residential boarding school teaches leadership and entrepreneurial skills to students from across Africa while preparing them for universities around the world. By 2017, about a thousand students had joined the Academy. For most students, tuition is waived, provided they promise to return to Africa after graduating from college. [3]

In 2014 at a TED conference in Brazil, Swaniker announced an expansion of his vision: a new network of 25 African universities that would ultimately groom 3 million leaders by 2060. [5] [6] [7] By the end of 2016, two campuses had opened: one in Mauritius and the other in Rwanda. Fast Company recognized this network of universities as the 3rd 'Most Innovative Company' in Africa and CNN released a feature calling the university 'the Harvard of Africa'. [8] [9] Graca Machel, Nelson Mandela's widow, serves as the Chancellor of the university, while Donald Kaberuka, former President of the African Development Bank, serves as the Chairman of the university's Global Advisory Council. [10]

Early in his career, Swaniker co-founded Synexa Life Sciences, a biotech company and Terra Education, a teen-focused immersive education and travel company.

Swaniker also leads Sand Technologies, a data and AI solutions company with engineers and data scientists distributed across Silicon Valley, France, the UK, Romania, Africa and other emerging markets.

Recognition

Swaniker's work as an educational entrepreneur has been praised by the U.S. President Barack Obama [11] and Microsoft founder, Bill Gates [4] .

He has been recognized as a TED Fellow (2009) [12] and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader (2012). [13] He was named one of the Top Ten Young Power Men in Africa by a 2011 Forbes magazine online feature. [14] Echoing Green recognized him as 'one of the top 15 social entrepreneurs in the world' in 2006. [15] In 2017, Fred Swaniker received two honorary doctorates—one from Middlebury College in the USA and the second from Nelson Mandela University in South Africa. [16] In 2018, he received a third honorary doctorate from Macalester College in the USA.

In 2019 he was recognized by Time magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World" [17] and in 2023, he received the Time 100 Impact Award [18] . Fast Company also included African Leadership Group among the 50 most innovative companies in the world [1] .

Swaniker also sits on the board of the Rhodes Trust (awardees of the Rhodes Scholarships to Oxford University), and on the international advisory board of the University of Waterloo.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macalester College</span> Private college in Saint Paul, Minnesota, US

Macalester College is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate four-year institution with an enrollment of 2,142 students in the fall of 2023. The college has Scottish roots and emphasizes internationalism and multiculturalism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graça Machel</span> Mozambican humanitarian activist and politician

Graça Machel is a Mozambican politician and humanitarian. Machel is an international advocate for women's and children's rights and was made an honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997 for her humanitarian work. She is the only woman in modern history to have served as First Lady of two countries: South Africa and Mozambique. She is the widow of former President of Mozambique Samora Machel (1975–1986) and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela (1998–2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Drayton</span> American social entrepreneur

William Drayton is an American social entrepreneur. Drayton was named by U.S. News & World Report as one of America's 25 Best Leaders in 2005. He is responsible for the rise of the phrase "social entrepreneur", a concept first found in print in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mo Ibrahim</span> Sudanese-British businessman (born 1946)

Sir Mohammed Fathi Ahmed Ibrahim is a Sudanese-British billionaire businessman. He worked for several telecommunications companies, before founding Celtel, which, when sold, had over 24 million mobile phone subscribers in 14 African countries. After selling Celtel in 2005 for $3.4 billion, he set up the Mo Ibrahim Foundation to encourage better governance in Africa, as well as creating the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, to evaluate nations' performance. He is also a member of the Africa regional advisory board of London Business School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Ryan</span> American newspaper executive and political consultant

Frederick Joseph Ryan Jr. is an American media entrepreneur, political advisor, author and lawyer who served as the publisher and chief executive officer of The Washington Post from 2014 to 2023. He was the president and chief operating officer of Allbritton Communications Company and founding chief executive officer and president of Politico. He was the chief of staff for former President Ronald Reagan from 1989 to 1995 and is the chairman of the board of trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.

The African Leadership Academy (ALA) is an educational institution located in Roodepoort on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa, for students between the ages of 16 and 19 years old, with current alumni coming from 46 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology</span> School in Accra, Ghana

The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) is an Africa-wide technology entrepreneur training program, seed fund, and incubator headquartered in Accra, Ghana. The three-phased institution was founded in 2008 to provide training, investment, and mentoring for aspiring technology entrepreneurs with the goal of creating globally successful companies that create wealth and jobs locally in Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bright Simons</span> Ghanaian innovator and entrepreneur

Bright Simons is a Ghanaian social innovator, entrepreneur, writer, social and political commentator. He is the vice-president, in charge of research at IMANI Centre for Policy and Education. He is also the founder and president of mPedigree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herman Chinery-Hesse</span> Ghanaian software businessman (1963–2024)

Herman Owula Kojo Chinery-Hesse was a Ghanaian technology businessman and the founder of theSOFTtribe, the oldest and largest software company in Ghana. He was popularly known as "the Bill Gates of Africa". Chinery-Hesse also made the list of 15 Black STEM Innovators. In March 2019, he was introduced as the Commonwealth Chair for Business and Technology Initiatives for Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regina Honu</span> Ghanaian software developer

Regina Honu, is a Ghanaian social entrepreneur, software developer and founder of Soronko Solutions, a software development company in Ghana. She opened Soronko Academy, the first coding and human-centered design school for children and young adults in West Africa. Honu has received multiple awards, including being named by CNN as one of the 12 inspirational women who rock STEM. She was also named as one of the six women making an impact in Tech in Africa and one of the ten female entrepreneurs to watch in emerging economies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Ngan</span> Cameroonian entrepreneur

Christian Ngan is a Cameroonian businessman, entrepreneur, music producer, songwriter, and author. Known as the founder of Adlyn Holdings and Madlyn Cazalis Group, a conglomerate based in Cameroon that operates across Central and West Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Awuah Jr.</span> Ghanaian engineer and educator; founder and president of Ashesi University

Patrick Awuah Jr. is a Ghanaian engineer, educator, and entrepreneur. Awuah established Ashesi University, a private, not-for-profit Ghanaian institution in 2002. He has received awards as an individual and as the founder of Ashesi.

Temie Giwa-Tubosun is a Nigerian-American health manager, founder of LifeBank, a business enterprise in Nigeria working to improve access to blood transfusions in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Leadership University</span> African higher education network

African Leadership University (ALU) is a network of tertiary institutions operating in Mauritius and Rwanda, offering bachelor's degree programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Mativo</span> Kenyan entrepreneur and fashion designer (born 1994)

Alex Mativo is a Kenyan entrepreneur and fashion designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African women in engineering</span>

Globally, women are largely under-represented in STEM-related fields; this under-representation is especially prevalent in Africa where women represent less than 20% of the workforce in these fields. African women in engineering and STEM related fields are more susceptible to discrimination and to be devalued in African countries. Regardless of this lack of representation in STEM-related work, there are many important female engineers from across the continent. Furthermore, a number of organizations within and out of Africa are working towards minimizing the disparity within the workforce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac Sesi</span> Ghanaian entrepreneur

Isaac Sesi is a Ghanaian entrepreneur, engineer, and the founder of Sesi Technologies, a Ghanaian company that solves agricultural and food challenges. He is known for his development of a moisture meter to help sub-Saharan African farmers reduce post-harvest losses

Constance Elizabeth Swaniker is a Ghanaian sculptor, educator, and entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of Accent & Arts and also the founder of Design and Technical Institute (DTI) in Accra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeph Acheampong</span>

Jeph Acheampong is a Ghanaian-American entrepreneur and the founder of Blossom Academy, the first data science academy established in West Africa, and a founding member of Esusu Financial, a Fintech platform that helps millions of renters build credit.

References

  1. 1 2 Odutayo, Damilola (2019-02-20). "Fast Company reveals list of most innovative African companies". CNN. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  2. ↑ "Creating Tomorrow's African Leaders, Outlook - BBC World Service". BBC. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  3. 1 2 3 Barret, Victoria (May 26, 2008). "Fighting Africa's Brain Drain". Forbes . Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Training Africa's future leaders". BBC News. 2012. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  5. ↑ "Fred Swaniker : "Nous construisons l'université du futur en Afrique!"". Le Monde.fr (in French). 6 November 2015. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  6. ↑ "Fred Swaniker : "Le secteur privé peut aider l'Afrique à entrer dans l'économie mondiale du savoir" – JeuneAfrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). 6 November 2015. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  7. ↑ "Fred Swaniker : "Pour sortir de la pauvreté en Afrique, il faut investir dans nos cerveaux"" (in French). 2016-04-05. Archived from the original on 2018-08-27. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  8. ↑ Heather Richardson (22 July 2019). "The Ghanaian entrepreneur and leadership expert is striving to disrupt education with a model that will produce millions of African leaders and jobs by 2035". bbc.com. BBC. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  9. ↑ Howell, Parke, Robert, Phoebe (9 November 2016). "From teenage headmaster to building the 'Harvard' of Africa". cnn.com. Retrieved 30 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ "African Leadership University opens in Mauritius". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  11. ↑ Sedzro, Anthony (July 3, 2013). "Obama Commends Ghanaian Entrepreneur For Leadership Role". Ventures - Africa. Archived from the original on 13 September 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  12. ↑ "TED Fellow profile". Archived from the original on 2014-05-25. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  13. ↑ World Economic Forums Young Global Leader
  14. ↑ Top 10 Young Power Man in Africa, Forbes , September 13, 2011, The 10 Youngest Power Men in Africa
  15. ↑ "Global Recognition". African Leadership Academy. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  16. ↑ Middlebury College
  17. ↑ "Fred Swaniker: The 100 Most Influential People of 2019". Time . Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  18. ↑ "The TIME100 Impact Awards". Time. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.