60 Years Robert Bosch Stiftung: Alumni-led NGO fosters positive digital futures for African youth

In several African countries, the internet is associated with deception, fraud, or scams, making it even more difficult for young Africans to improve their professional opportunities in an increasingly online world. The Internet4Good project set out to change this. Originally planned as an on-site capacity building workshop for media professionals in Ghana, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the organizers to go fully digital, which ultimately led to a significant increase in their reach and visibility.

An early – and unexpected – highlight of the project came when, after receiving substantial feedback on their activities, the organizers were asked to participate and present on a UNODC panel at the Education for Justice Global Dialogue Series in December 2020. Internet4Good has since been established as a separate NGO.

The initiative was founded by three members of the Bosch Alumni Network: Kodzo Yaotse from Ghana, Mercy Mangwana Mubayiwa from Zimbabwe, and Oyindamola Adegboye from Nigeria, who now works as a development professional at the intersection of youth development, leadership, and social innovation. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Robert Bosch Stiftung, Oyindamola looks back on her first support from the foundation and the network of its alumni. She reflects on how this and subsequent support mechanisms have strengthened her on her personal path.

At what stage of your life were you when you received your grant from the Robert Bosch Stiftung?

In 2020, at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, I was part of the Common Futures Conversations project which started already in 2018. I had just completed my Erasmus Mundus master’s in Education Policies for Global Development.

As a member of the Bosch Alumni Network, I then started the Internet4Good project when I observed pervasive negative stereotypes about African youth's use of the Internet in the global media, while at the same time witnessing restrictions on Internet access in schools due to fears of corruption. Internet4Good aims to counter these narratives by promoting a positive online environment for young Africans while ensuring their participation in the digital economy.

How did the grant affect your future path?

After the initial support from the Robert Bosch Stiftung, I used the support of the “Call of Ideas” initiative within the Bosch Alumni Network to start a virtual pilot of Internet4Good during Covid-19 and implemented the full project in 2021. It was a really rewarding experience to work with colleagues from three other African countries: Ghana, Cameroon, and Zimbabwe. Eventually, Internet4Good grew from a project to a registered NGO as well.

This project enabled me as well to transition back into the world of work as I used the collaborative/program management/partnership building/advocacy skills I had acquired to secure additional consultancies and jobs that led me to the path I am on today.

Is there an experience from the grant / program that you will never forget?

The highlight for me was organizing a two-day capacity-building workshop for journalists in Accra, Ghana. Witnessing the response from the participants and their subsequent requests to expand the project to other regions in Ghana was truly amazing. It showed the project team that we were effectively addressing a real problem and identified a gap that needed to be filled.

What place(s) has your program taken you?

In addition to conducting workshops in Ghana, Internet4Good was invited by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to collaborate on various initiatives. This included hosting a virtual session on "The Menace of Cybercrime and its Impact on Nigerian Youth" as part of the 2020 Education for Social Justice Dialogue series. I was also invited to speak at a Regional Workshop on Cyber Organized Crime in West Africa in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire in 2022, where I presented on the role of nonprofit organizations in cybercrime prevention.

What program did you participate in?

I participated in the Common Futures Conversations program implemented by Chatham House, where I served as a country representative from 2018 to 2020.

Picture © Les-Ann photos

More of these personal impact stories will follow in the coming weeks - showing how the initial support of the Robert Bosch Stiftung helped someone on their future path. Stay tuned!

For more inspiration around the anniversary, keep an eye out for #boschstiftung60 on LinkedIn or Instagram.