The Visiola Foundation has completed its 2026 STEM Summer Camp for Teen Girls in Abuja, providing 100 students from 45 government secondary schools across the Federal Capital Territory with practical knowledge in renewable energy, electronics, automation and engineering design.
The eight-day programme, held from August 8 to 15, was organised under the theme, “Powering the Future: Girls Leading Africa’s Renewable Energy Revolution.” The programme ended with a Renewable Energy Innovation Challenge and an awards ceremony held over the weekend.
The girls, aged 13 to 17, took part in hands-on lessons covering electricity, solar and wind power systems, energy efficiency, battery management, sensors and smart technologies. They also learned microcontroller programming and the engineering design process.
Working in groups, the participants identified energy-related problems within their communities and developed solutions by designing, building, testing and presenting working prototypes before a panel of judges.
The top prize in the innovation challenge went to a team that created Smartfarm, an automated agricultural system aimed at making farming operations simpler, safer and more efficient.
The President of the Visiola Foundation, Ladé Araba, said practical STEM education was especially important for students in public schools, where access to technical equipment and learning resources may be limited.
Araba noted that Africa’s rapidly expanding young population, combined with the increasing demand for digital and technical skills, made investment in practical STEM education essential to the continent’s future economic growth.
She said Africa’s growing youth population presents an opportunity to build a skilled workforce as digital and technical skills become increasingly important in the global job market. She added that expanding practical STEM education in public schools could help create skilled workers, improve household incomes and support long-term economic development.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FGN Power Company (FGNPC), Kenny Anuwe, who served as the chief judge of the final competition, said the students’ projects showed that young Nigerians could play an important role in addressing the country’s energy problems.
According to Anuwe, the participants demonstrated a strong understanding of engineering principles, built functional prototypes and confidently explained the ideas behind their projects.
He said the girls had successfully handled complex engineering concepts and produced working solutions, adding that investing in future engineers and innovators was essential because Africa’s energy challenges required the contributions of all available talent.
Anuwe added that FGNPC’s involvement in the programme reflected its broader efforts to improve technical expertise within Nigeria’s power sector.
He said the Federal Government could not develop the power sector alone and would require cooperation and support from key partners across the public and private sectors.
He explained that FGNPC programmes, including the Siemens Energy Education & Development (SEED) and Power Training Institute (PTI) workstreams, were focused on improving engineers’ skills in areas such as power system simulation, network studies and system planning.
Anuwe also called for greater efforts to address the gender imbalance in STEM, stressing that Nigeria and Africa could not afford to exclude a large part of their available talent from engineering and technology.
Blue Camel Energy, a renewable energy company that has partnered with the Visiola Foundation since 2019, also renewed its commitment to supporting the development of future engineers.
The company’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Suleiman Yusuf, said Blue Camel Energy had promoted practical learning through industry visits and internship opportunities for the programme participants.
Yusuf explained that exposing young women to professional engineering environments early in their development could boost their confidence and help them better understand career opportunities in renewable energy and engineering.
The Visiola Foundation said it has reached more than 24,000 girls over the past 13 years through STEM camps, after-school STEM clubs in government secondary schools and coding boot camps for young women.
The Foundation said its programmes are aimed at helping African girls and women gain technical skills, professional confidence and valuable industry connections to prepare them for careers as engineers, innovators and leaders in sustainable development.
No Comment! Be the first one.