Mamadou Amadou Ly
Mamadou Amadou Ly | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation |
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| Organization(s) | Executive Director of Associates in Research and Education for Development |
| Awards | Yidan Prize 2025, Time 100 2026 |
Mamadou Amadou Ly is a Senegalese nonprofit executive and educational leader who serves as the Executive Director of Associates in Research and Education for Development (ARED), a nonprofit dedicated to developing bilingual educational systems in Africa that integrate both French and native languages into schooling. He was awarded the Yidan Prize in 2025, becoming the first person from Africa to be awarded the prize, and was included in the Time 100 in 2026.
Biography
He first became involved in education when he started teaching his illiterate parents how to read and write, and soon became driven by the education system in Senegal, where early education is conducted in French, despite most of the population not speaking it, to become an educational activist.[1]
He took over as head of ARED after the death of founder Sonja Sutterberg-Diablo, also Senegal-based.[2]
He has led ARED to develop bilingual education systems in Africa that integrate both French and native languages, such as Wolof and Pulaar,[3] into schooling. Documents produced by ARED and shared through the Early Learning Resources Network as Open Educational Resources have been utilized by the governments of Senegal, Mauritania, and The Gambia.[4] He has also worked in close collaboration with the Senegal Ministry of Education[5] and the Mauritania Ministry of Education.[6]
He was awarded a Yidan Prize, known as the "Nobel Prize for Education", in 2025.[7][8] He was the first person from Africa to be awarded the Yidan Prize.[9][10]
He was included in the Time 100 in 2026: his profile was written by Catherine M. Russell.[11]
References
- ↑ "ARED's Executive Director pushes for inclusive learning across Africa - The Point". thepoint.gm. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ cfeditoren (2025-02-15). "Reaction to Mobse'S Justification of the Exclusive Selection of Wolof in the MEISS Pilot Project". Gambia. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ Seneweb (2026-04-17). "Mamadou Amadou Ly Named to TIME's 100 Most Influential People List". Seneweb. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ Darc, Aude (2025-10-13). "The visionary work of Mamadou Amadou Ly". New African Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ "How this year's Yidan Prize laureates reshape modern literacy and skills worldwide". South China Morning Post. 2025-12-23. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ Dakar (Senegal), APA- (2025-10-09). "Mamadou Ly interview: African education researcher reflects on award, sector's future". APAnews - African Press Agency. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ Seneweb (2025-09-29). "Yidan Prize 2025: Senegalese receives world's highest education award and 2.1 billion CFA francs (photo)". Seneweb. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ "Mamadou Amadou Ly wins 2025 Yidan prize for transforming education in Africa - The Point". thepoint.gm. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ "Yidan Prize". yidanprize.org. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ Staff, The Editorial (2026-06-14). "Mamadou Amadou Ly, the man who brought African educational innovation to the top of the world". Financial Afrik. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ Russell, Catherine M. (2026-04-15). "Mamadou Amadou Ly: The 100 Most Influential People of 2026". TIME. Retrieved 2026-06-21.