It's TED Talks Daily. I'm Elise Hugh. Teacher strikes, student protests, and a lack of basic supplies and technology. That was the reality for East African schools when social entrepreneur Benga Sassan grew up. In his talk from Ted Salon 2020, he says centuries of wealth inequality is a global epidemic.

And he shares the work he's doing to level the playing field in a way that's going beyond just putting computers and apps in the hands of the poor.

I once watched this video of a relay race at a primary school in Jamaica.

There are two teams, the yellow team and the blue team.

And the kids are doing great, working so hard and running so fast.

And the yellow team asked the lead until this little boy gets theon and runs in the wrong direction.

My favorite part is when the grown-up chases him,

looking like he's about to pass out,

trying to save the situation,

and get the kid to run in the right direction.

In many ways, that's what it's like for many young people in Africa.

There are many pieces behind their peers on the other side of the inequality divide.

And they're also running in the wrong direction.

Because as much as we might wish otherwise and aspire to build economic and social systems where it's not the case,

global development is a race. And it's a race that my own country, Nigeria, and home continent

Africa are losing. Inequality must be seen as the global epidemic that it is. From the boy who can't afford to dream

because of the disappointment that could come with it, to the girl that skipped school in order

to sell snacks in traffic, just to fund our school fees, it is clear that inequality is at the

centre of many of the world's problems. Affecting not just at the center of many of the world's problems,

affecting not just the bottom 40% of us, but everyone.

Young men and women who don't get set on the path of equal opportunities become frustrated,

and we may not like the choices they make in their attempt to get what they think

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