Amanda Obidike from Nigeria the Founder of STEMi Makers Africa

“Women are grossly underrepresented in STEM fields in Sub-Saharan Africa”, writes World Bank Country Director Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly.

We need to get more girls in Africa into STEM!

Meet Amanda Obidike the STEM queen of Africa. She is the founder of STEMi Makers Africa and shares her journey of establishing STEMi Makers Africa.

STEMi Makers Africa was established in the year 2018 with a diverse Community and existing in over 17 Sub-Saharan Countries in Africa. We are a non-Governmental organization that equips young people with STEM emerging tools, real-world problem-solving skills they need to use to excel in STEM lucrative fields and become more experienced for Africa’s Workforce.

“My work began on a quest to help Africans overcome barriers to education, employment, foster better livelihoods and facilitate inter-state networking amongst young leaders who desired sustainable change in Education and socio-economic. This led to building a formidable team across over 38 communities in 17 Sub-Saharan countries where we address regional concerns in education and coordinate national STEM activities. We understand that if Africans are not prepared in STEM and STEM Education is not improved, we will continue to fall in world ranking and will not maintain a global position”.

We are building an ecosystem called “Africa By Us, For Us” that will prepare over 300,000 young and diverse talents with future-focused options to match world-standard pathways by 2025.

Website to visit: www.stemiafrica.org  and https://wwwlinktr.ee/stemimakerafrica

Amanda Obidike is an accomplished non-profit leader and Data Scientist with 10 year’s experience in directing social enterprises, start-ups and complex organizations in Africa, Europe and MENA Nations. She is the General Manager of the Sir Emeka Okwuosa Foundation. Her role at SEOF combines her passion for social innovation, youth development, reform in education curriculum, technology, and building new programs. She holds a Masters in Business Management from IBMI, Berlin and Certification in Economic policy making from IE Business School, Spain.

Recently, she became a Techwomen Awardee, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). In 2021, she became a Global 20 Goldman Sachs Fellowship Winner and emerged Winner in the UK’s foremost award, the FDM EveryWoman in Technology, Tech For Good Category. In 2020, she was given the Technology Rising Star Award by WOC, Michigan for successfully championing diversity in technology and innovation for the girl child. She has also been celebrated by Forbes Science as an African changing the culture fabric for young talents to embrace opportunities in Science and Technology.

Amanda has led Strategy Development and Execution, Humanitarian responses and has served as the African Union (AU) CESASTEM Cluster for driving Educator reforms, policies and instructional pedagogy in STEM across 21 African countries. She serves as a Mentor in the New York Academy of Science and Cherie Blair Foundation, Global thinkers for Women where she lends her voice and knowledge to serve as a role model to girls in Africa. She also currently serves on the Leadership Board of the Nigerian Global Affairs Council, STEMi Makers of Africa, Innovation Village, Kenya and as a Trustee at the MAI Foundation for Women Empowerment and Advocacy Center.

Any words of wisdom from Amanda to African women on why they should continue taking up spaces?

“Yes, absolutely!

As women, we should not be afraid to dream, to excel and to succeed. The world doesn’t give us what we want, so we need to take it and one of the ways we can take it is through the place of leadership . Leadership is about being responsible. How responsible are we to our community? Our family, the girls and women who look up to us. What is that one bold step you need to take in growing in your career, Education or profession but you feel restrained because of socio-cultural perspectives?

I didn’t have everything figured out one time in my life. It was as if I was lost but the moment, I told myself I CANNOT FAIL. I began to set goals and take responsibility in my life.

Let’s go past what we see now (the pandemic, other current situation) and be encouraged.

Be free to Dream,

Be free to Create,

Be free to Think,

Be free to Win,

Be free to Excel and

Be free to Succeed.

The world awaits your manifestation”.

Let us continue to break the bias together!

You don’t want to miss this!

If you have any inquiries, please email us on info@botlhaleafrika.co.za   or visit our https://botlhaleafrika.co.za/  .

The hashtag to follow is #BreakTheBias , #amplifyingvoices and #authenticstories.