Dakar, Senegal - September 29, 2025 - The Yidan Foundation, the world's largest education award, has named Mamadou Amadou Ly, Director of ARED (Associates in Research and Education for Development), winner of the Yidan 2025 Prize. Mamadou is recognized for his pioneering work in promoting basic literacy and bilingual education in West and Central Africa.
With this award, Mamadou Amadou Ly joins the Council of Yidan Prize Winners, a global community of innovators shaping the future of education. "This is a victory for Senegal, for Africa and for our shared belief that children learn best when schools reflect their languages and cultures," said Mr. Ly.
Removing barriers to basic learning through bilingual education
In many French-speaking African countries, French remains the language of instruction, even though most children start school without ever having spoken it. A KIX study (2024) has shown that 71 % of Senegalese pupils in CE1 and CM1 don't understand or speak enough French, which hampers their learning.
ARED meets this challenge with bilingual educational models that begin teaching in the child's mother tongue before gradually introducing French. This approach relies on adapted teaching aids and teacher training to create stimulating, culturally relevant classrooms. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique: in the flagship program Ndaw Wune ("Success for all")) In the 2023-2024 school year, students made progress of +74 % in letter reading, +100 % in syllable reading and +134 % in word reading.
Increasing impact through partnerships and open resources
Awa KA Dia, Program Director at ARED, said, "Collaboration is at the heart of our success, because transforming education cannot be done alone." A key technical partner of Senegal's Ministry of Education, ARED conducts applied research and provides data to inform and improve national programs. Demonstrating its potential for large-scale adaptation and deployment, ARED's free and open resources are also being used in Mauritania and Gambia.
Mamadou Amadou Ly added: "The Yidan Prize for Educational Development will enable ARED to significantly accelerate its work, proving that bilingual, community-based education, based on solid data and accessible to all, can bridge learning inequalities and inspire public policy."
The Yidan Prize jury highlighted Mamadou's achievements in educational equity and inclusion. Dorothy Gordon, Chair of the Yidan Prize for Educational Development Jury, said, "Mamadou's vision has paved the way for literacy and opportunity for hundreds of thousands of African learners, and continues to inspire educational reform in the region and beyond."
About ARED
ARED is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Dakar (Senegal), West Africa. Founded in 1990 by Sonja Fagerberg-Diallo, ARED is dedicated to training, education and publishing in national languages.
ARED has established itself as a major organization promoting national languages, particularly Pulaar. It develops literacy programs and promotes national languages. Its actions have a strong resonance in the sub-region.
ARED aspires to a world where everyone, whatever their origin, has access to quality education in their mother tongue.
We believe that a thriving society depends on valuing local languages and cultures, where every voice has the power to express itself and contribute to community development.
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Education for all, inclusive education that takes into account cultural and linguistic diversity.
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Autonomous communities are able to develop while preserving their cultural heritage.
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A lasting legacy, safeguarding and promoting local knowledge for future generations.
Natty S. KOKOLO