Women in STEM Urged to Lead Africa’s Technology and Innovation Drive
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, accompanied by Principal Secretary for Higher Education and Research Beatrice Inyangala and Women in Technology and Innovation Africa (WITIA) Founder and Chair Eunice Pohlmann cut the ribbon during the Women in STEM Africa Summit 2026 in Nairobi, marking the official opening of the two-day summit
Women and girls in Africa are being urged to take a greater role in creating and leading technology as government, academia, industry and innovation leaders push for stronger investment in STEM education and opportunities at the Women in STEM Africa Summit 2026 in Nairobi.
The push is aimed at helping Africa move beyond being a consumer of technologies developed elsewhere and build its own capacity in research, innovation, intellectual property and technology-driven enterprises.
The two-day summit, organised by Women in Technology and Innovation Africa (WITIA) in partnership with UNESCO, brought together policymakers, educators, researchers, technology leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and young innovators under the theme “Discovering Talent. Driving Innovation. Shaping Africa’s Future.”
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said Africa has a wealth of talent in schools, universities, TVET institutions and communities, but more needs to be done to identify, nurture and develop that talent into solutions that can transform the continent.
“Africa cannot afford to remain predominantly a consumer of technologies developed elsewhere. We must increasingly become creators, researchers, builders of intellectual property and exporters of technological solutions to global markets,” Ogamba said.
He said education should go beyond examinations and give young people opportunities to experiment, solve real-world problems and develop confidence in their abilities.
Ogamba also called for greater participation of women in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, robotics and biotechnology.
“We need women not only to use artificial intelligence, but also to build it, to research it, govern it and shape the way it’s deployed in our societies,” he said.
Principal Secretary for Higher Education and Research Beatrice Inyangala said the focus must now shift from simply increasing women’s access to STEM education to ensuring they have the opportunity to lead and influence the sector.
“Our ambition must therefore move from access to agency, from participation to leadership, from being users of technology to becoming creators of technology,” Inyangala said.
She called for stronger collaboration between universities, research institutions, industry and investors to help women researchers and innovators take their ideas from laboratories and classrooms into the marketplace and communities.
Inyangala said Africa’s challenges in agriculture, healthcare, climate change, manufacturing, energy and digital transformation require research and solutions developed with the continent’s needs in mind.
For WITIA Founder and Chair Eunice Pohlmann, turning the potential of women and young innovators into impact will require stronger connections between people across the STEM ecosystem.
“Sometimes the greatest value of a summit like this does not necessarily come from what happens on this stage. It comes from the conversation that happens between the sessions,” Pohlmann said.
She encouraged corporate leaders and investors to support emerging innovators through mentorship, investment, partnerships and access to opportunities.
The summit also featured discussions on artificial intelligence, digital transformation, entrepreneurship, research and technology policy, as well as an Investor Pitch Arena connecting startups with investors and potential partners.
The winning startup received KSh500,000 to support the growth and scaling of its innovation.
The discussions underscored the need to strengthen the STEM pipeline from education and skills development to research, innovation, entrepreneurship and investment, while creating more opportunities for women and girls to help shape Africa’s technological future.
