The Huffington Post recognizes NLI Associate, Idris Bello as ‘the Greatest Person of the Day’ for working towards the program to create Libraries across Africa. The goal of the program is simply to: “empower individuals through access to information.” By establishing low-cost infrastructure for libraries and connecting people directly with computer training, even the poorest communities can become more self-sustaining. He explained to the post that there’s not always an easily accessible location for young Africans to meet and discuss ideas, to utilize everything people in the U.S. take for granted on the Web. These libraries can also serve as their de facto “Starbucks,” or their “FedEx Kinko’s,” as he put it. Africans need to become more self-sustaining, and should be fully aware of the world outside their own villages, he said.
Idris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, where he was a NNPC/ChevronTexaco Scholar. He also obtained a Master’s of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Houston, and was the recipient of the TPEG Grant Award. He also has an Executive MBA in Global Strategy from Rice University and serves on the Executive Lecture Series Council of the Jones Business School
Idris is on the Board of Directors of several business and non-profit organizations, including Mumineen Foundation Inc., The Small Kindnesses Fund (SKF), and Bell & Gems Resources, Inc.
