Fatima Zahra Outaiss

Morocco

Fatima Zahra holds a Master’s degree in Embedded Systems and Industrial Computer Science Engineering and an executive education certificate from the Moller Institute, Cambridge University, in leadership and public policy. At the age of 24, she operates as a full time team leader of an automobile project. Fatima Zahra has a vehement passion for vocational skills such as debating and public speaking. She is currently a debate adjudicator and a Master Facilitator at the Young Mediterranean Voices program. Her mission is to transform the content generated through debates into action-oriented plans to influence public policies. She is an Alumna of the Youth Innovation Summit, Future Leaders Connect, MEDAC’s Leadership Seminar and New Narratives co-creation Labs. Through the international events she participates in, she represents the Moroccan youth in different exchanges with world leaders such as Princess Mary of Denmark, Mr. John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Representatives in UK parliament, Mr. George Vella, President of Malta and many others.

Ahmed Mughni

Pakistan

Wing of the Planning and Development Department of the Government of Sindh, Pakistan. Ahmed obtained his masters in Social Anthropology from the University of Manchester, England. He has previously worked as a Research Associate at the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development, and taught Social Change and Development at Bahria University Karachi Campus. Most recently, in 2019, he was awarded British Council’s UK Alumni Scholarship

Mehdi D. Bouhassoune

United Kingdom

Medi Bouhassoune is a Sales Executive at Yougov, a global public opinion and data company, United Kingdom. He joined the organization as a Junior Business Development Executive in 2018.

He first obtained a professional baccalaureate in printed production in 2012. He then studied for a Bachelors’ degree in Laguages, Literature and foreign Civilizations from Strasbourg University in France. His degree programme included an Erasmus exchange in Birmingham, UK. Mehdi Bouhassounne then earned a Master’s Degree in International Relations from York University in 2018, and was head of his year. He also attended a summer school programme at the Europe Institute at the London School of Economics. 

Philip Nyakundi Gichana

Kenya

Philip is a graduate of Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) with an LLB in Law and a post Graduate Diploma from Kenya School of Law. He has worked with Kituo Cha Sheria a center for legal Aid and awareness where he litigated on various Public Interest cases especially on ECOSOC Rights. He proceeded to work for Caritas Nairobi before joining International Institute for Legislative Affairs as Policy and Legislative Drafting Officer where he was in charge of policy and legislative development initiatives including the Mental Health Policy 2015 – 2020. He currently heads Policy and Legislative Drafting at TI – Kenya under the Policy Legal and Institutional Frameworks Programme. He is an experienced drafter and trainer on policy and legislative development with a keen interest in good governance. He is British Council Future Leader’s Connect Fellow, 2019 and is currently a Consultant for the British Council, Ideas for a Better World – Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).

Abhishek Jain

India

Abhishek Jain is presently working as an Analyst at MicroSave Consulting’s Government and Social Impact domain in India.

He has graduated in International Development from the University of Bath, UK, for which he was awarded the Commonwealth Scholarship. Prior to the MSc degree, he worked as a Research Assistant to Legislators at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, New Delhi, where he provided legislative research assistance to the Members of Parliament.

He has worked in various capacities as a researcher with organizations and institutions such as University of Bath, Centre for Civil Society, and National Human Rights Commission. He was also the youth delegate at the Commonwealth Heads of the Government Meeting held in London in April 2018. Additionally, he holds a second Master’s degree in History from the University of Delhi.

His area of expertise includes social and rural development, economic and financial inclusion, digital payments, and policy analysis.

SYEDA NAZNEEN JAHAN

Bangladesh

Ms. Syeda Nazneen Jahan is a development professional with more than 9 years of experience in the field of Education, Gender, Youth and International development spanning Asia and Africa in a strategic program development and management capacity.  
 
At present, she’s working as the Head of Youth Empowerment at Stichting BRAC International, Bangladesh. Here, she is trying to provide a second chance at learning to the underprivileged adolescent girls and youths left out of the formal education system due to socio-economic inequality, and to assist them in achieving greater economic and social empowerment to become agents of change in their families and communities across Nepal, Uganda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
 
Throughout her professional career she has worked in several sectors of development, including education, early childhood education, gender, youth empowerment, sexual and reproductive health and rights, disability and inclusion, monitoring and research through organizations like BRAC International, Population Council Bangladesh, Democracywatch and Bangladesh Protibondhi (Disability) Foundation.
 
She holds her Master’s degree in Education, Gender and International Development from the Institute of Education, University College London, UK with the Commonwealth Scholarship (2017-2018). Besides, she holds her another Masters and Bachelor degree in Education (particularly focused on Special Education) from the Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. 

Muhammad Fazal H. Qureshi

Pakistan

Muhammad Fazal Hussain Qureshi is currently a  fourth year student of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in Ziauddin University, Karachi. He is one of the  few students around the World who have been awarded ‘Walton Sustainablity Solution Award’ by Arizona State University for his work in creation, design and development of innovative solutions that directly address our Planet’s sustainablity challenges.

He was declared as the Grand Winner of 2014 ‘Sindh Science Fair’ organized by Pakistan Science Foundation and Intel. In 2015, he won Best of Category Award for his project on Environmental Management and Sciences Category in National Science Fair Pakistan affiliated with Intel International Science and Engineering Fair USA.

He has more than 15 publications in National and International Journals. He has been awarded Best Paper by Aga Khan University, Liaquat National University and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre on his extensive research in the field of Psychiatry (Stress and Anxiety among students, doctors and post graduates). Other than Psychiatry he has several research papers related to the fields of Public Health, Oncology and Molecular Biology.

MS. RAMOU SONKO

The Gambia

Ms. Ramou Sonko is a young professional with an academic background in Social Policy. A strong promoter of child rights, Ramou worked at UNICEF as the Child Protection Officer. Prior holding this position, she served as the Programme Assistant for Social Policy Knowledge & Advocacy and the Child Protection section for 4 years. In 2017, Ramou went to pursue her master’s degree after receiving prestigious Chevening Scholarship Award from the UK Government.  Over the past years, she has gathered substantial experience in private sector as well as development work while working at Standard Chartered Bank and UNICEF Gambia.

Since 2012, Ms. Sonko has provided immense support towards the establishment of the National Social Protection Steering Committee and participated in the national social protection mapping and the social protection analysis for The Gambia. The yearly Social Protection Forum was under her purview which she organized with the relevant stakeholders. Her participation in the development of the National Social Protection Strategy and Policy and the Child Protection Strategy of the Gambia, led her to undertake research as part of her master’s degree programme to ascertain how the Gambia can build an effective Social Protection System for Children and the Elderly. In the beginning of the new decade, Ramou joined ActionAid International were she occupied the position of the Women Rights Specialist. Under her purview, she worked with key stakeholders to strengthen the capacity of CSO’s to eradicate the harmful traditional practices such as (FGM and Child Marriage) and other forms of violence against women in The Gambia.

In addition to this, Ramou engaged herself in high policy advocacy with the National Assembly members of The Gambia, the Minister of Children, Women and Social Protection in law reforms that will address the inequalities that exist affecting women and girls. She currently works at UNFPA in The Gambia as the Programme Analyst for Gender and GBV.  

GIDEON OLANREWAJU

Nigeria

Named by Zenith Bank Plc as one of Nigeria’s 2019 “Heroes of Our Time” and as one of 100 Most Influential Young Nigerians in 2019, Gideon Olanrewaju is a leading Educational Development Practitioner and Development Consultant with 6 years of transnational experience leading and working with diverse teams in Canada, Nigeria, South Africa and the United Kingdom to promote quality education for disadvantaged populations. Currently, he serves as the Chairperson of the International Youth Coalition for Education (IYCE) and the Chief Executive Director of Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative (AREAi). In both capacities, he has championed the design and delivery of successful interventions that have ensured access and bridged gaps between learning and employability for over 16000 disadvantaged children across communities in Nigeria.

His outstanding leadership accomplishments have earned him global accolades having been recognized as a 2019 One Young World Ambassador, 2019 Deloitte Scholar, 2018 UNESCO Young Leader in Africa and 2015 YALITechCamp South Africa Alumnus. Gideon has represented Nigeria at and contributed to, several high-level consultations including the 2019 Global Education and Skills Forum Dubai, 2018 UNESCO NGO Forum Moscow, 2018 Education World Forum London, 2017 UNESCO NGO Forum Riyadh to mention a few.

In 2018, Gideon was appointed by UN Special Envoy Gordon Brown’s Theirworld as its Youth Representative to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) where he spoke and presented a Global Youth Declaration to world leaders and over 116 leaders of global educational agencies. In 2019, Gideon was invited by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Megan Markle, alongside 9 other young leaders from across the world to Windsor Castle in the United kingdom for a roundtable discussion on girls education and gender equality.

Gideon holds a Bachelors in Biochemistry from Ladoke Akintola University and a Masters in International Education and Development from University of Sussex, UK as a recipient of the prestigious UK Chevening Scholarship. He also holds executive leadership and facilitation certificates from Cambridge University Institute of Sustainability Leadership, African Leadership Academy, UN Office in Switzerland and LEAP Africa Leadership Academy. He’s pursuing his Doctoral Studies in Educational studies at McGill University, Montreal, Canada.