Oprah Winfrey Expands Scholarship Programme to Reach More Girls and Invest in More Futures

Photo Credit: Supplied by Nico Olwagen (Courtesy of Harpo)

Though its residential campus will close in 2027, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls is expanding its heartbeat across South Africa to launch a nationwide scholarship programme that will ensure Oprah’s dream of empowering young female learners continues to thrive for generations to come.

Johannesburg, South Africa (31 July 2026) – Educating a girl has the power to transform families, communities and ultimately a nation. Twenty years ago, this very idea –born from a conversation between former President Nelson Mandela and global media leader Oprah Winfrey– inspired what we all know today as the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG).

At its heart, the Academy recognises the power that academically gifted girls stand to have when given every resource needed to succeed. And after two decades and with over 1,000 graduates later, it has achieved just that.

Since opening its doors in 2007, the Academy has welcomed girls from disadvantaged communities across SA, equipping them with an education grounded not only in academic excellence, but also in leadership, confidence, compassion and purpose.

To put this into numbers, a 2024 study found that 99% of surveyed graduates went on to higher education, nearly 9 in 10 said OWLAG gave them opportunities they would never otherwise have had, and 94% reported that their education positively transformed their families.

Photo Credit: Supplied by Nico Olwagen (Courtesy of Harpo)

Today, OWLAG alumnae are serving as doctors, educators, engineers, entrepreneurs, artists, scientists, business leaders and changemakers across the country and around the world.

The impact has been profound, but the Academy is now embarking on a new chapter.

At the end of the 2027 academic year, the residential campus of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls will conclude its role as the centre of the programme. The property will be returned to the Gauteng Department of Education in accordance with the original partnership agreement.

However, the Academy’s mission continues. Oprah Winfrey’s commitment to educating South Africa’s young women will move forward through an expanded scholarship programme that will provide educational opportunities for academically talented girls from communities across the country.

The scholarship programme will support young women at various leading schools throughout South Africa, ensuring that Oprah Winfrey’s investment in girls’ education continues for generations to come.

“The dream was never simply to build a school,” Oprah Winfrey said.

“It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women. That mission doesn’t end with one campus. It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education. I’m excited that this next chapter will allow us to reach even more young women across South Africa and continue the promise that began more than 20 years ago.”

The Gauteng MEC for Education, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Lebogang Maile, expressed his sincere appreciation to Oprah Winfrey for her extraordinary contribution to education in the Gauteng province.

Through the transition of the Academy’s assets to the Gauteng Department of Education, the Department said it will ensure that the Academy’s legacy of academic excellence, leadership development, and the creation of opportunities through education continues to benefit future generations of learners.

OWLAG assures that every student currently enrolled at the Academy will complete her educational journey with uninterrupted academic, financial and personal support.

Throughout the transition, the Academy will continue its commitment to the holistic development of every student and to its growing network of alumnae through mentorship, leadership development and higher education support.