Keana, founder of NGO on Almajiri,  announced as Obama Foundation Scholar

The Obama Foundation has announced Mohammed Sabo Keana, founder of the Almajiri Child Rights Initiative (ACRI), among its fourth cohort of Obama Scholars.

Keana is among the two groups of 12 emerging leaders from around the world who will study at Columbia University for the 2021-2022 academic year.

ACRCI is a support and accountability nonprofit that amplifies the call for education and social inclusion for West Africa’s most at-risk children.

ACRI uses a child-rights centered approach to develop and deliver direct support programmes for vulnerable out-of-school children in northern Nigeria and raises awareness among policymakers at all levels of governance to bring attention to this issue.

In 2019, Keana received the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Action Awards as one of three finalists.

He’s a LEAP African Fellow and a trained microbiologist with a bachelor’s degree from Ahmadu Bello University and a master’s degree in development studies from the Nigerian Defense Academy.

The Obama Foundation Scholars programme partners with Chicago and Columbia to combine academic learnings with one-of-a-kind experience led by the Obama Foundation.

The programme’s aim is to empower emerging leaders with a proven commitment to service with the tools they need to make their efforts more effective and impactful upon their return home.

At Columbia University, Obama Scholars, will complete a nine-month residency with Columbia World Projects, an initiative that mobilizes the university’s faculty and researchers to work with governments, nongovernmental organizations, businesses, and communities to create tangible solutions to real-world issues.

Launched in 2018, the Obama Foundation Scholars programme is designed to inspire, empower, and connect emerging leaders with the tools they need to make their efforts more effective and impactful across their global communities.