David Sengeh isn’t a regular minister of education — he’s a cool minister of education. He’s known to join students on the pitch for impromptu soccer matches. He’s not prone to wearing suits — they don’t do so well during the soccer matches. He drops Eminem references into podcast interviews. And he’s not just Sierra Leone’s education minister — he’s also its chief innovation officer. All this, and he’s not even 40 years old.
Sengeh’s out-of-the-box thinking has been the key to his success. He was instrumental in overturning the country’s ban on educating pregnant girls, and his adherence to radical inclusion has made Sierra Leone’s education system a model on the continent.
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About the author
Lauren Evans@laurenfaceevans
Lauren Evans was formerly an Assistant Editor/Senior Associate in the Office of the President at Devex. As a journalist, she covers international development and humanitarian action with a focus on climate and gender. Her work has appeared in outlets like Foreign Policy, Wired UK, Smithsonian Magazine and others, and she’s reported internationally throughout East Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
