FOUNDERS’ CORNER
Africa’s tech ecosystem is growing, but skills gaps and youth unemployment continue to slow down progress. By 2050, 20% of the global workforce will be African, yet over 20% of African youth are NEET, and three in five are young women (ILO). Investing in girls’ STEM education, as highlighted by UNESCO and the World Bank, is essential to building local talent, closing gender gaps, and ensuring Africa thrives in an AI-driven world. A major highlight was the successful completion of Cohort 2 of our 2025 Hybrid Coding Bootcamp, where 55 young women graduated after eight weeks of rigorous study across the AI and Data Analysis tracks.
These students built real-world solutions, from stroke prediction models to road traffic analysis tools, demonstrating how technology can address everyday challenges in Africa.
We also continued strengthening STEM foundations in secondary schools through the After-School STEM Clubs for Girls, where 2,035 students participated in robotics, electronics, circuit design, and engineering projects. Junior students built working systems like alarms, motor projects, and light-controlled devices, while senior students constructed advanced LEGO EV3 robots capable of navigating mazes, detecting obstacles, and performing real-world tasks.
In December, we hosted 100 girls aged 13–18 from government secondary schools in Abuja for an 8-day intensive STEM residency camp themed “Robotics & AI for Sustainability: Girls Innovating Africa’s Tomorrow.” The camp inspired participants to think critically, ask bold questions, and apply robotics and AI to develop innovative solutions for community development and Africa’s long-term progress.
Since 2014, the Visiola Foundation has supported over 22,000 African girls and young women across 17 African countries. In 2025 alone, we worked with 6,710 students across 35 government secondary schools in Abuja. These numbers reflect both our commitment and the growing demand for accessible STEM opportunities.
I am therefore thrilled to share these updates with you as we continue investing in talented African girls and young women from underserved communities. We are committed to democratizing access to high-quality STEM experiential learning to strengthen the pipeline of ethical, female, African STEM professionals creating innovative solutions that contribute to economic transformation. As I strongly believe, “talent is widely available, but opportunity is not.” Our work is therefore designed to break this, increasing access to life-transforming opportunities for girls, irrespective of their backgrounds.
Thank you for your continued support. We hope you enjoy reading this quarter’s highlights as we close out the year 2025.
Warm regards,
— Co Founder, The Visiola Foundation
55 YOUNG WOMEN GRADUATED FROM OUR CODING BOOT CAMP – COHORT 2
The Visiola Foundation successfully completed the 2025 Hybrid Coding Bootcamp (CBC), an eight-week program designed to give girls a strong foundation in computer science, programming, and problem-solving. Students learned through daily Pow Wow sessions, breakout room classes, hands-on tasks, and real project work.
A total of 82 young women registered, and 55 students graduated across the AI and Data Analysis tracks.
Throughout the bootcamp, participants learned core skills in, Programming and computer science basics, Data analysis and AI agent (track-specific, Building simple applications and solving real problems with tech.
Students also joined Tech Mentor Hangout Sessions with industry experts who shared career advice, personal stories, and practical guidance.
The program ended with a closing competition where teams presented the projects they built:
AI Track Projects
Group 1- AI system for analyzing crop prices
Group 2 – Road Traffic Accident Predictor
Group 3 – Stroke Risk Prediction Model (AI Track Winner)
Group 4 – AI-powered Scholarship Finder
Data Analysis Track Projects
Group 1- Agricultural Market Data Analysis
Group 2 – Road Traffic Accident Analysis (Track Winner)
Group 3 – Stroke Data Analysis
Group 4 – Students’ Lifestyle & Academic Performance Analysis
The CBC Cohort 2 program ended successfully, equipping more young women with the skills, confidence, and motivation to pursue careers in STEM.
AI track students learning
Data Analytics track students learning
2,035 GIRLS PARTICIPATE IN AFTER-SCHOOL STEM CLUBS FOR GIRLS
A total of 2,035 girls participated in the third session of the After-School STEM Clubs for Girls (ASCG) Program.
1,076 new students and 959 returning students from junior and senior secondary schools. This phase focused on building confidence, strengthening STEM skills, and helping girls see themselves as future engineers, innovators, and problem-solvers.
Junior Secondary Schools
Junior students were introduced to Snap Circuits, where they learned the basics of electronics, circuit design, and engineering. Over nine weeks, they completed hands-on projects that taught them how electricity flows, how switches work, and how to build simple systems that respond to light, sound, and movement.
They explored topics such as, Circuit design, Series and parallel connections, Audio circuits and sound, Motor control, Sensors and automatic systems
The Projects included:
Electric lights, DC motor systems, alarms, light-controlled lamps, voice-controlled circuits, electronic games, and creative systems like the Spin Draw art project.
Through these activities, the girls improved their critical thinking, teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity, all while discovering how technology powers everyday life.
Senior Secondary Schools
Senior students deepened their knowledge of robotics using the LEGO EV3 system. They learned how to build and program robots, use sensors, solve problems, and create systems that behave intelligently.
Their weekly lessons covered, Mechanical building and robot structure, Programming logic and movement, Ultrasonic, gyro, color, and touch sensors, Looping, variables, and My Blocks, Autonomous navigation, Engineering design and prototyping
Throughout the program, the girls built and tested multiple robots, including:
Forklift Robot, Obstacle-Avoiding Robot, Smart Robotic Gate, Security Patrol Robot, Maze-Follower Robot
During the final project weeks, students applied all they learned to design custom robots based on real-world problems (e.g., delivery robots, rescue robots, and patrol bots). They programmed, tested, debugged, and showcased their creations, explaining how each robot worked, the sensors used, and the challenges they solved.
Senior school students building a robot
Junior School students with a snap circuit
270 GIRLS PARTICIPATE IN OUR OUTREACH CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL CHILD
To celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child, the Visiola Foundation hosted a STEM outreach at a government secondary school in Abuja on the 15th of November 2025, engaging 256 girls in hands-on Robotics and Electronics activities.
The students worked on 14 projects (8 robotics and 6 electronics), building real prototypes such as Smart Gate Systems, Security Robots, Forklift Robots, Water Leak Alarms, and Two-Speed Fans. These sessions gave the girls practical engineering experience, teamwork skills, and confidence to explore STEM further.
With girls still underrepresented in STEM across Africa, early exposure like this plays a key role in strengthening the future talent pipeline and inspiring the next generation of female innovators.
The Visiola Foundation conducted a STEM outreach program at Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) Dutse in commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child. The event successfully engaged and empowered 270 female students through practical, hands-on STEM activities.
The outreach featured 14 project groups, comprising 6 electronics teams and 8 robotics teams, each tasked with designing and building functional STEM models. The robotics teams developed a range of innovative prototypes, including:
– Robotic Smart Gate
– Security Patrol Robot
– Washing Machine Model
– Robotic Lifter
– Bridge-Building Robot
– Tricycle Robot
– Car Race Robot
– Smart Forklift Robot
The students demonstrated strong enthusiasm, teamwork, and problem-solving skills throughout the session. Their active participation reflected a growing interest in STEM disciplines and a readiness to apply technical concepts creatively.
The Foundation was honored to host two representatives from the Secondary Education Board (SEB), Mr. Awwal and Mrs. Zainab – whose presence reinforced the importance of collaborative efforts in advancing STEM education for girls.
This outreach served as a meaningful contribution to the global celebration of the Day of the Girl Child and reaffirmed our commitment to providing young women with transformative learning opportunities in science and technology.
Students building a light switch
Students working on an alarm circuit
100 GIRLS PARTICIPATE IN OUR DECEMBER STEM CAMP THEMED ROBOTICS & AI FOR SUSTAINABILITY: GIRLS INNOVATING AFRICA’S TOMORROW
The Visiola Foundation successfully hosted its December STEM Camp, an immersive 8-day residential program designed to empower girls with hands-on skills in Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Sustainable Technology. The camp brought together 108 students, bright and motivated girls from across Government Secondary Schools Abuja, Nigeria, all eager to explore how technology can shape Africa’s future.
Program Overview
Throughout the camp, participants engaged in daily lessons, team challenges, quizzes, and practical robot-building sessions. The curriculum focused on building a strong foundation in Robotics, AI concepts, engineering design, and sustainability-focused innovation.
By the end of the program, students showed:
- Increased confidence in building and programming robots
- Improved teamwork, creativity, and critical thinking
- A deeper understanding of how STEM can solve real problems in their communities
- Greater interest in pursuing future STEM studies and careers
Excursions & Extracurricular Activities
Students went on an educational excursion to NASENI (The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure), where the students saw projects like electric vehicles, irrigation drones, and solar-powered water pumps solutions built to solve real-life problems. It helped them clearly connect concepts they’ve been learning in camp, such as sensors, robot components, and autonomous systems, to real-world use cases.
In addition to technical learning, participants engaged in activities such as:
- Taekwondo (self-defense), sports and dance
- Team-building exercises
- Creativity and innovation challenges
These activities helped strengthen social skills, resilience, and leadership.
Self Defense Session
Dance Session
Team Challenge Activity
Excursion to NASENI
Students learning about Drones at NASENI
Students learning about Electric cars at NASENI
Mentoring & Speaker Sessions
Students benefited from STEM Mentor Hangouts, where experienced professionals shared insights about their careers, personal journeys, and the future of STEM in Africa.
Mentors included:
- Caroline Nyaga — Founder and CEO of STEAM Initiative
- Ogbonna Nnenna — STEM Educator
- Ike Nnabuihe — Project Manager at F5
- Olubunmi Odumade — Senior Director of Engineering at a startup
- Ugochukwu Peter Nnachor – Founder of Gritin AI
Team Projects & Competition
Participants were grouped into 13 teams. Each team designed and built a sustainability-focused robotic or AI-powered prototype addressing issues such as agriculture, security, waste management, education, and accessibility.
Team projects included;
- Team Aurora Tech Girls: Built FreshSense Bot a Smart Food Freshness Detection, It is a smart robot designed to determine the freshness of raw food using a color sensor. this robot detects changes to help identify whether food is safe to consume.
- Team Tech Brains: Designed VoltScout an autonomous inspection robot built with LEGO EV3 that patrols electrical infrastructure to detect problems before they cause blackouts.
- Team STEM Innovative Mind: Developed MEDBOT is a robotic healthcare assistant designed using the Lego Mindstorms EV3 kit to support health workers in Nigerian hospitals and clinics. The robot continuously monitors patient vital signs such as heart rate and body temperature and detects abnormal changes in real time..
- Team Tech Stars: Constructed Survi Bot, a smart surveillance robot that uses a hybrid control system used to detect, sense and report suspicious activity going on between checkpoints which uses sensors to sense motion, distance and object .
Flexo Bot – A smart farm harvest assistant crane
Survi Bot – Surveillance bot for road checkpoints
Fresh Sense Robot – Good food detector
Ev3 drawing bot – Educational Drawing Robot
The closing competition was judged by:
- Edzai Conilias Zvobwo — Chief Executive Officer & Product Manager at Acalytica
- Binta Gali — Senior Manager, Career Advancement and Innovation at Miva Open University
- Aishatu Jafaar Suleiman — Education Officer at FCT SECONDARY EDUCATION BOARD desk officer in charge of Robotics Education
- Shade Adebayo – Country Education Specialist, US Embassy Abuja
- Abiodun Abiodun Owo – Programs Manager at Aspire Coronation Trust (ACT) Foundation
Winning Teams
1st Place — Team STEM GEMS:
AgriWind Irrigation Rover is a smart, automated irrigation machine designed to autonomously irrigate small, medium, and large hectares of farmland using wind and solar energy.
2nd Place — Team Code Commanders:
They created “Waste collector”, a semi-autonomous waste collection robot designed with built-in safety features to deliver faster, more hygienic, efficient, and eco-friendly waste collection.
3rd Place — Team GIT Girls:
Trash2Power is a smart robotic system designed to help farmers and communities manage organic waste more efficiently. Trash2Power automatically identifies and separates organic waste so it can be reused for compost or biogas.
Impact & Outcomes
By the end of the December STEM Camp:
- Students gained practical experience in coding, robotics, and AI.
- Many discovered new career interests and STEM pathways.
- Participants demonstrated improved leadership, communication, and confidence.
- Students built lifelong connections with peers, mentors, and instructors.
The camp successfully reinforced the Foundation’s mission to empower girls through STEM and to prepare them for leadership in Africa’s innovation economy.
Here is also a short recap video of the activities done in the camp
Conclusion
The Robotics & AI for Sustainability: Girls Innovating Africa’s Tomorrow camp was a transformative experience that nurtured future innovators and problem-solvers. With continued support from our partners, mentors, and volunteers, the Visiola Foundation remains committed to equipping girls with the skills and opportunities they need to build a brighter, more inclusive, and sustainable Africa.