IHS Nigeria and Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC) have emphasised the need to include more females in all-round development through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
The event was held across three states for 300 girls, with 100 girls each participating from Gbaja Girls High School, Surulere, Lagos; Queens Model Secondary School, Enugu State; and New Girls Science and Technical College, Kano State.
The events in each state featured insightful STEM career talks, hands-on practical training on the production of rechargeable lights, a creative showcase, and gift presentations to students.
Addressing the female students at the Lagos event, a Senior Manager, Engineering and Design at IHS Nigeria, Idowu Olugbemi, noted that failure to have more females in STEM would hinder overall national growth.
She also urged the students to identify problems and proffer solutions to solve them.
“If we don’t have women in STEM, we won’t improve our lives. Women were the ones who introduced menstruation pads, bicycle, among others. It is important that we have more females in STEM. This will enable them create innovations that can solve female related problems,” she advised.
Speaking in Lagos on the theme, ‘Unpacking STEM careers: Her voice in science’, Director, Procurement at IHS Nigeria, Sanet Shepperson, urged them to bring positive change in the society.
She also reiterated the importance of education in the life of a female child.
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“Think big. Think different. It is in your hands to succeed. Dream big and keep learning. “Education gives confidence, and independence. It gives one the opportunity to make self-decision. Without education, others become the architect of your destiny,” she advised.
Programmes Coordinator, W.TEC, Diamond Oshomoji, reiterated that W.TEC is keen on bridging gender gap in STEM sectors.
She added that the event created a platform to actualise this vision.
“We are trying to encourage more young girls and women into STEM. We are trying to recognise women who are in science. It’s a wonderful occasion because we have a large turnout of students. We also used the opportunity to encourage a lot of students to embrace STEM.
“There is a gender gap in STEM. It is W.TEC’s vision to bridge this gap. If you go to any company, you will notice we have more men than women in the engineering and science units. That gap is what we are trying to bridge. That is why we have different initiatives to combat this challenge,” she explained. Gbaja Girls High School’s ICT Prefect, Olivia Nkwocha, lauded the programme. She also noted that it has helped encourage her to strive more in her career pursuit.
“I want to study forensic medicine, which is a male dominated field. This programme was an eye-opener for me. Now, I know that I can be what I decide to be; regardless of if it is a male-dominated field. And I also know that I will have the encouragement of other women in the field,” she said.
Delivering her address at the event, Zeenatu Yaradua, the Field Site Engineer of IHS Nigeria, gave a brief about her journey as a female engineer from the north to encourage the young girls participating in the event, saying there are a lot of opportunities waiting for them as females in the engineering sector.
“Don’t accept the wrong notion that medicine is only what the girls can go for. No, engineering is also ours,” she stated.
The events featured a hands-on training session where the students, grouped in teams of ten, built rechargeable lamps using plates, plastic, wires, and LED lights, followed by a creative showcase in which each of the first-place winners all received wireless headphones, and the second-place winners were awarded with IHS-branded school bags.
The school management was also presented with Arduino kits and flasks as a token of appreciation from IHS Nigeria and W.TEC.