Omolabake Fasogbon
African teens have been equipped with STEAM skills to solve daily challenges using technological innovations. The teens who gathered in Lagos for the 2023 edition of STEAM Fun Fest were also armed with relevant knowledge to prepare them for the future of works in respective fields.
The programme, organised by 9ijakids, STEM METS, Edufun Technik Hub and SabiTeach, had over 4000 attendees between ages 7 and 15 experimenting with innovations like the robotics, virtual reality, immersion and artificial intelligence tools, amongst others.
There were also exhibitions and master classes taken by tech experts across fields who attended to children’s individual inquisition.
Speaking on the theme of the event, ‘Empowering the next generation for the future of work’, Co-founder of 9ijakids, Titi Adewusi observed that the awareness level on the capability and strength of tech power was still very low in this clime, hence the STEAM programme to further draw attention to the potentials of digital innovations.
She said, “No doubt, the future is driven by technology. Hence, there is need for lot of digital thinking, creativity and problem- solving skills which is what STEAM proffers. For us, it’s about building the next generation of African disrupters by equipping them with the right skills so they can harness technology to improve productivity and solve Nigeria’s problems”
Adewusi further advised government to make STEAM education a core part of school’s curriculum, also tasked the authority on right policies, competition and partnerships with like-minded initiative to promote and stir children’s interest in STEAM.
On his part, Product Manager of Youth Segment, Access Bank, Mr. Omoyola Oladipupo while commending the initiative, also advised on need to fully embrace technology for scalability, reiterating that the future heavily depends on it.
Founder of SabiTeach, Wale Ogunjobi reiterated that the programme intends to catch kids young and impact them with right skills to enable them achieve their big dreams.
The highlight of the programme was a quiz competition which saw nine-year old Kamdilichukwu Chukwuneta emerge overall winner of 2023 STEAM Fun Fest.
For his outstanding performance, he was rewarded a prize of N400,000 and a laptop.
