Grace Ihejiamaizu, a Nigerian social innovator and youth development advocate, believes Africa’s next generation of changemakers will emerge from communities where girls are rarely encouraged to lead in technology.

As the South-South Nigeria Chapter Ambassador of Technovation Girls, a global initiative addressing the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), Ihejiamaizu has become a driving force in equipping girls with 21st-century skills and breaking gender barriers in tech.

Over the weekend in Uyo, she led the conclusion of a 12-week global technology and entrepreneurship programme, where 20 teams of girls, aged 8 to 18, from underserved communities in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States, pitched their mobile app solutions before a panel of judges. The projects tackled real-world challenges such as environmental sustainability, healthcare access, and education.

“Technovation, a global programme present in over 100 countries, invites girls to learn coding, mobile app development, and business planning, culminating in regional and global pitch events,” Ihejiamaizu explained.

“I believe Africa’s next generation of changemakers will come from the margins—places where girls are rarely told they can lead in tech. That’s who I show up for.”

She emphasized that when girls are given the tools and mentorship to innovate, they not only build apps but also grow in confidence, purpose, and vision for the future.

“For many participants in Uyo, it was their first time presenting ideas publicly, a major milestone for girls often underrepresented in STEM,” she added.

The programme was more than a competition. It was a movement of empowerment. With support from mentors, teachers, and community partners, the girls created tech solutions focused on climate change, mental health, digital literacy, and gender inequality. Some teams even incorporated sign language into their apps to promote accessibility and inclusion.

Ihejiamaizu has worked at the intersection of education, entrepreneurship, and youth empowerment for over a decade. Under her leadership since 2019, participation in the South-South Nigeria Technovation programme has seen significant growth, attracting attention from educators, tech advocates, and development organizations.

Beyond Technovation, she is also the founder of Opportunity Desk and the iKapture Centre for Development, platforms through which thousands of young Nigerians have accessed global opportunities and digital skills training.

Her impact gained global recognition in 2015 when she mentored Team Charis, the first Nigerian and African team to win the Technovation Global Pitch in San Francisco. Their story was later featured in a documentary by Google, showcasing the growing movement of girls in tech across Africa.

With this year’s regional pitch concluded, three top-performing teams from Uyo will now advance to the semi-finalist stage, with a chance to compete at the Technovation World Summit.

As global efforts to close the gender gap in STEM continue, the work being done in cities like Uyo and Calabar led by voices like Grace Ihejiamaizu’s is proof that transformative change often begins with a small group of determined girls and a woman who believes in their potential.

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