AU Teacher Prize winner, Adeeko, bags Microsoft most valuable professional award

A multiple-award winning teacher, Olalekan Adeeko, has been declared by Microsoft as the Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in Africa.

MVP is one of the most reputable honours in the tech community globally and the award is given out annually to celebrate individuals, who are deeply committed to sharing their expertise and helping others make the most use of technology in various fields.

Since the maiden edition in 1993, no fewer than 4,000 individuals around the globe have received the award so far.

Speaking on the award, Adeeko, who is an African Union Continental Teacher Prize winner (2020) and co-founder of TedPrime Hub, expressed happiness over the honour.

He revealed that within the last six years, he had before now, bagged two different awards from Microsoft-Microsoft Innovative Educator, which he received in Singapore in 2018 and Microsoft Fellow in Paris in 2019, even as he described the latest recognition as a major milestone in his career.

Adeeko, a computer science graduate from Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, said the award reflects the work he had been doing to make tech knowledge more inclusive of, and accessible to, everyone, especially the use of Yoruba language to reach a broader audience.

He pointed out that the latest award came after the success of his Yoruba tech content on social media, teaching tech skills like Excel, Data analytics and AI tools in Yoruba language.

“So, I am passionate about making technology more inclusive and accessible, and I’m thrilled that my efforts have resonated with so many people both online and offline including the over 100,000 followers on my various social media handles.

“These projects have also opened up opportunities for me to lead tech training sessions for teachers in Nigeria, Ghana, Botswana, Kenya, and beyond.

“So, it’s been incredibly rewarding to see my work featured on platforms like the BBC and TechCabal, and I’ve even had the honour of speaking as a panelist at the just concluded African Union’s Skills Week held in Accra, Ghana.

“This event brought together top government and global agencies officials including ministers of education, UNESCO, the ILO, the World Bank, and other major organizations.

“I strongly believe that using technology will greatly help to close educational gaps, especially among people in the hard-to-reach communities across Africa.”

READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE