Pearl Utuk
Nigeria

Pearl Emmanuel Utuk has more than seven years of experience in the international development sector. Currently, Pearl is the program officer at Connected Development, a civil society organization in Nigeria that builds the capacity of citizens to hold their elected representatives and government accountable. Its initiative, FollowTheMoney (FTM), is the largest social mobilization and accountability movement in Africa that tracks government spending and international aid and grants in the health, environment, and education sectors across marginalized communities. FTM promotes and ensures open government and service delivery with a presence in nine countries. Pearl is also founder of Teach the Child, a project that uses education technology and board games to improve English communication skills of children from low-income families. Pearl holds a bachelor’s degree in Archaeology and Tourism with a postgraduate degree in Education. Concerned about poor access to opportunities, which is the reality of children from underserved communities, Pearl uses her platform to drive advocacy and campaigns in the development sector. After completing the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, Pearl plans to replicate the Teach the Child model in as many communities in Africa as possible, beginning in Nigeria.