About 6 teachers that participated in the 2026 Summer Fellowship  for Innovative Teachers Award (SFIT have won $1,000 in recognition of their contributions to creativity, improved teaching and learning.

The SFIT 2026 award and conference held at the Kingsville Schools, Jahi, Abuja was   organised by the Murdock-Thompson Center for Teachers,(M-TC) USA, in partnership with the Intellectual Giants in Africa Foundation (INGAF) brought together teachers, school owners, education administrators, policymakers, development partners and innovation advocates.

The event with theme “Championing Innovation in Africa: Honouring Teachers’ who shape the future” provided a platform to celebrate teachers using innovative approaches to transform their classrooms and improve students’ learning experiences.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Founder and Executive Director of INGAF Amb. Emmanuel Idiagi said the SFIT Award was conceived to restore dignity and value to the teaching profession while encouraging innovative teachers to remain in the education sector.

He revealed that about 30 teachers across  Benue, Kaduna, FCT and Cote d’Ivoire have so far being awarded $1,000  disclosing plans to include other countries across the African continent

He expressed concern over the growing movement of teachers into other sectors, including banking and FinTech, saying the trend was contributing to brain drain in education.

“We have brain drain in the educational space. A lot of them are going to FinTech,  banking industry, among  other professions, saying education remains  the mother of every other profession. This is why we are trying to appreciate, reward and honour teachers for their innovation in the classroom because a lot of them are not being appreciated.

“So, the whole idea is for us to encourage teachers to stay in this space. We understand that they are not paid much. But when we come up with innovative awards and ceremonies like this, teachers begin to see themselves as valuable.”

He appealed to the government, United Nations and international development organisations to support the initiative.

Idiagi said teachers were selected for the award based on the originality and practical impact of their innovations rather than their academic qualifications.

One of the award winner, Mr Victor Okonkwo, a Further Mathematics teacher at Community Secondary School, Asokoro, Abuja, said his winning innovation, “Smart Water Mathematics,” was developed to promote efficient management of water resources by organisations, families and individuals.

Another winner, Nonso Ihejirika, a Digital Literacy teacher at Brighter Schools Lugbe, Abuja, described the award as a major personal milestone.

Also speaking, Mrs Eze Goodness Nnenaya, who teaches Entrepreneurship, Fashion Design and Garment Making at Kingsville School, Jahi, Abuja, said the award had rekindled her enthusiasm for teaching. “It has extra-motivated me. Now I believe that our reward as teachers is not just in heaven; we are receiving it here.

The organisers said the SFIT initiative would continue to identify, celebrate and support teachers whose innovations are making measurable differences in classrooms, while advocating greater investment in educators across Africa.

Among the speakers at the conference were William Lavin, President and Executive Director of M-TC, USA; Prof. Bethany Hall-Long, former Governor of Delaware, USA; Dr. Uche Onyekpe, Founder and Executive Director of the African Institute for Artificial Intelligence, AI-4AI; and Amb. Emmanuel Idiagi, Founder and Executive Director of INGAF.

A major attraction was a roundtable session on “Ethical AI in the Classroom,” where participants examined the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of Artificial Intelligence in education.

The conference also featured the first showcase of the fellowship’s Advanced Learning Community, ALC, Robotics Programme, led by Michael Oche, a Board Member of M-TC and robotics expert.