By Ibukun Emiola.
For Esther Olabiyi, an SS3 student of Ibadan Grammar School, having access to computers, laptops and smartphones did not necessarily mean knowing what she could do with technology.
That changed when she participated in the AI/Data Science for Her 2026 programme organised by Tech Girls Club.
Within five days, Olabiyi was introduced to programming, Python and Microsoft Excel, giving her a new understanding of technology and its possibilities.
“Before the training, I had access to computers, laptops and phones but my knowledge of what I could do with them was limited,” she said.
Her experience captures one of the challenges facing efforts to increase girls’ participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in Nigeria.
Having access to technology does not necessarily mean having the knowledge, skills or opportunity to use it meaningfully.
The challenge, however, is not unique to Nigeria.Globally, women now outnumber men in higher education, with 114 women enrolled for every 100 men.Yet, women account for only 35 per cent of STEM graduates, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
The figures point to a gap between women’s participation in higher education generally and their representation in STEM.
In Nigeria, women remain underrepresented in STEM, with data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showing that they account for only about 22 per cent of STEM graduates, highlighting the gender gap in the sector.
For many girls, however, the challenge may not be a lack of interest or ability.
It can include limited exposure, inadequate infrastructure, teaching methods centred on theory and memorisation, and few opportunities to apply knowledge practically.
Against this backdrop, the AI/Data Science for Her programme was held across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Editions took place in Ilorin, Yola, Port Harcourt, Zaria, Nsukka and Ibadan.
The initiative was supported by a 2026 Bridging the Future grant from the NeurIPS Foundation.
The foundation said the programme would train 300 Nigerian high-school girls in the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and data science.
Through the programme, the girls received practical training in artificial intelligence, data science, programming and digital skills.
According to Wonderful Osalor, Project Manager of the programme, participants arrived with varying levels of exposure to technology.
“Some had regular access to computers, while others came from schools without adequate computer facilities.
“For some participants, the programme provided their first opportunity to use a computer extensively,” she said.
Osalor said the differences became less significant when the girls were given similar tools, knowledge and opportunities.
“Once you give them the right knowledge, tools, exposure and experience, any girl can excel in technology and science,” she said.
For some participants, the learning process began with basic computer operations.
Osalor recalled that some initially struggled with typing and locating special characters on a keyboard.
Some, she said, did not know where to find symbols such as the “@” sign.
Within five days, however, they were writing Python code.
For Osalor, the transformation demonstrated the importance of teaching methods and ensuring that learners are not made to feel incapable because they have not previously encountered certain concepts.
“Rather, learning should begin from the basics and progress according to the learners’ pace,” she added.
Yet, while the training provided an important introduction to technology, it raised a more difficult question; what happens when the training ends?
Dr Wilson Sakpere, Lead Facilitator and board member of Tech Girls Club, said the programme exposed concerns about what some participants would return to after the training.
Some girls, he said, would return to schools where computers and other facilities needed for continued practice were unavailable.
Indeed, some participants were already asking how they could continue learning programming through mobile applications because they might not have access to computers after the programme.
Sakpere called for greater investment in facilities in public schools, stressing that exposure without continuity could limit the development of lasting skills.
“A girl who learns Python, data analysis or AI during a short programme needs opportunities to practise afterwards if the skills are to develop into competence,” he said.
However, infrastructure is only part of the challenge.
Dr Aderonke Sakpere, Principal Investigator of AI/Data Science for Her, said the way children are taught must also change.
She called for greater emphasis on practical learning and everyday experiences rather than excessive memorisation.
“Education should move away from excessive emphasis on memorisation and connect theoretical concepts with everyday experiences,” she said.
For instance, she cited digital platforms such as YouTube, where children may interact with recommendations generated by artificial intelligence without understanding that AI is behind what they are seeing.
Teachers, she said, could use familiar experiences to introduce students to concepts that might otherwise appear abstract.
“At one centre students told facilitators that they had never been taught in that manner in school,” she said.
Beyond teaching methods, Sakpere advocated exposing children to STEM at an earlier age.
Although the 2026 programme focused mainly on senior secondary students, she made exceptions for two younger girls at one centre.
Their performance, she said, reinforced her belief that concepts traditionally taught at senior secondary level could be broken down for younger learners.
She therefore advocated extending such programmes to junior secondary and eventually primary school pupils.
For Grace Sakpere, a Junior Secondary School One student who participated in the programme, the exposure opened possibilities she had not previously considered.
The student said she hoped to develop an application capable of detecting fraudulent messages and calls.
“This is because there are two types of hackers: black hackers and white hackers.
“With the knowledge I have from this programme, I can create an app that can detect fraud,” she said.
She explained that such an application could help people identify suspicious text messages or calls and possibly trace fraudulent activities.
Her ambition illustrates how practical exposure can help young girls connect STEM knowledge with problems in their communities.
Similarly, the programme helped other participants connect technology with careers they already desired.
Oluwatonilola Oladosu, an SS1 student of Oritamefa Baptist Model School, Ibadan, said she had developed an interest in architecture and architectural engineering.
“This programme introduced me to the possibility of applying AI to architecture,” she said.
For the organisers, such connections are important because STEM learning becomes more meaningful when students can see how it relates to their interests and future careers.
At the same time, the programme brought differences in technological exposure between public and private schools into focus.
Osalor observed that some private-school students appeared more confident at the beginning, while some public-school participants faced greater challenges.
Nevertheless, she said the differences became less significant as the training progressed.
Olajide Oluwole, Curriculum and Content Developer for Tech Girls Club and AI/Data Science for Her, similarly recalled that at the Ibadan centre, only about six participants were initially coding confidently.
By the lunch break of the third day, he said, all 49 participants were making progress.
For him, the experience demonstrated why girls should not be judged by what they know before they are given an opportunity to learn.
Oluwole also believes Nigeria’s curriculum needs to change to reflect the realities of today’s learners.
“You can’t be working with 1986 syllabus in 2026,” he said.
He said curriculum reform should not simply mean adding more subjects or increasing the volume of content.
“Instead, students should spend less time listening to lengthy theoretical explanations and more time applying what they have learnt,” he said.
In his view, teachers could explain concepts briefly before allowing students to spend more time working practically with them.
The curriculum, he said, should answer a fundamental question; What can the learner do with this knowledge?
Oluwole also advocated introducing AI concepts early, given its growing application across sectors such as health, agriculture, law and accounting.
Meanwhile, one public-school participant’s experience showed how existing technology could become a learning tool when students are taught how to use it.
Dr Aderonke Sakpere recalled that the girl had a smartphone and had seen Microsoft Excel on it but had never used the application.
After the training, the girl returned home, opened Excel and began entering data.
“That simple experience changed her understanding of what a mobile device could do,” Sakpere said.
“Instead of seeing the phone merely as a communication or entertainment device, she began to see it as a tool for learning and computation.”
Similarly, another participant’s teacher reportedly requested information about a mobile version of Python so that students could continue practising after returning to school.
Sakpere said such experiences showed that while governments worked to address infrastructure deficits, schools could also encourage responsible use of available mobile technology for learning.
Importantly, the programme did not stop at teaching the girls how to use technology.
They were also challenged to think about how technology could solve problems around them.
The participants were grouped across public and private schools and asked to identify problems in their communities that could be addressed using AI and data science.
Their ideas included solutions for waste management, an AI-enabled smart waste detector and automated traffic-control systems designed to capture licence plates and identify reckless driving.
Other projects focused on crop-poisoning prevention, cyberbullying detection and measures to mitigate transformer vandalism.
The projects showed how young learners can move from being consumers of technology to considering how it can be applied to real-world problems when given the opportunity.
Even so, Sakpere warned that promising ideas could remain at the prototype stage without continued mentorship, funding and access to incubation opportunities.
That concern points to another challenge; sustaining momentum after short-term interventions end.
For the organisers, therefore, the end of the five-day training should not mark the end of the learning process.
Osalor said participants were expected to return to their schools and share what they had learnt with other students.
“We hope that schools will establish AI clubs, supported by ICT teachers, where participants can continue practising,” she said.
Similarly, Sakpere suggested collaboration with incubation centres to develop promising student projects.
She also said national STEM-related events could provide platforms for showcasing students’ innovations.
She urged the girls to take ownership of the opportunity by continuing to practise, teaching others and developing their ideas.
Ultimately, the experiences from the programme suggest that increasing girls’ participation in STEM requires more than encouraging them to develop an interest in science.
“It requires functional infrastructure, age-appropriate curricula, practical teaching, trained teachers, early exposure, sustained mentorship and opportunities for girls to apply knowledge to real-world problems,” Sakpere said.
For students such as Olabiyi, Grace and Oladosu, the five-day experience has already begun to change how they see technology and what they can do with it.
For Olabiyi, the transformation began with something deceptively simple: she already had access to a computer.
What she lacked was the opportunity to understand what was possible.
Stakeholders insist that Nigeria must ensure more girls have access to such opportunities and sustain their learning beyond the training room.
