More than 3,800 children, parents, teachers and science enthusiasts gathered in Lagos for one of Africa’s largest science, technology, engineering and mathematics festivals, as organisers sought to expose young Nigerians to practical skills in artificial intelligence, robotics and coding amid growing calls to strengthen the country’s future technology workforce.
- +3,800 children gain hands-on AI, robotics skills through STEM
The sixth edition of STEM Africa Fest, held at the Landmark Event Centre recently under the theme ‘Building Future Innovators,’ brought together participants from more than 119 schools and 46 exhibitors for a day of hands-on learning across emerging technologies, including robotics, artificial intelligence, drone technology, engineering and entrepreneurship.
The sixth edition of STEM Africa Fest, held at the Landmark Event Centre recently under the theme ‘Building Future Innovators,’ brought together participants from more than 119 schools and 46 exhibitors for a day of hands-on learning across emerging technologies, including robotics, artificial intelligence, drone technology, engineering and entrepreneurship.
Unlike traditional classroom instruction, the event encouraged children to build robots, write code, conduct science experiments, and solve engineering challenges, allowing them to experience technologies increasingly shaping the global economy.
“Children are naturally curious,” Co-founder of STEM Africa Fest, Jadesola Adedeji, said. “We simply asked ourselves what learning would look like if they had the chance to explore, build, and discover things for themselves. We felt there had to be a better way to bring STEM to life beyond the classroom, and that’s the thinking that has shaped STEM Africa Fest from the very beginning,” she added.
Activities at the festival included coding boot camps, drone demonstrations, AI storytelling sessions, science laboratories, engineering competitions, 3D innovation workshops, mental mathematics challenges, chess programmes, and a Young Innovators Showcase featuring projects developed by participating children.
Co-founder of 9ijakids and organiser of the festival, Titi Adewusi, said the objective was to move beyond theoretical teaching by giving children practical exposure to technologies they increasingly encounter in school.
“If they’re learning about robotics, we want them to build one. If they’re learning about artificial intelligence or 3D printing, we want them to see what those technologies look like outside the pages of a textbook. Those experiences stay with children long after they leave the festival,” Adewusi said.
The event comes as governments, schools, and private organisations across Africa increase investment in STEM education to prepare young people for a labour market increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence, automation, and digital technologies.
Nigeria has also stepped-up efforts to expand digital skills development through public and private sector initiatives aimed at improving technology adoption and innovation.
Since its launch in 2021, STEM Africa Fest has said it has reached more than 20,000 children, parents, and educators across Nigeria and other African countries through experiential STEM learning programmes. This year’s festival was supported by organisations including 9ijakids, STEM-METS, Golden Penny, Argentil Capital Partners, Access Bank, FirstBank, Lebara, Nigerian Breweries, VDL Technologies, and Iwosan Health Systems.
