Sharon Okpoe wasn’t born with a silver spoon or nurtured to become an engineer, a lawyer, or a doctor. The tall 17-year-old girl with a friendly face is from Lagos, Nigeria—specifically its infamous Makoko slum, where shacks built on stilts sit above dark, pungent water. Her father is a fisherman, and her mother ekes out a living selling roasted fish. In Makoko, teenagers—especially girls like Okpoe—have few career choices or opportunities for advancement. In Nigeria’s schools, boys…
To read this article and start a full year of unlimited online access, subscribe now!
Subscribe Now
Already a subscriber?
Login
Need to register for your premium online access,which is included with your paid subscription?
Register Now
Support SSIR’s coverage of cross-sector solutions to global challenges.
Help us further the reach of innovative ideas. Donate today.
Read more stories by Festus Iyorah.