No fewer than 772 girls from 16 government secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have developed 755 technology-based projects through an artificial intelligence education programme organised by AfroTechXL.
The projects were designed around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which the girls were taught to approach as opportunities for innovation, investment and partnerships.
The founder and executive director of AfroTechXL, Emerald Akhaumere, disclosed this at an ICT training programme for students in Abuja on Wednesday.
She said the innovations covered several areas, including healthcare, safe spaces for women, access to justice and civic engagement among young people.
She also explained that the participants had progressed from learning the fundamentals of AI to developing practical solutions, testing them with users and preparing plans for their potential adoption and commercialisation.
“Last time, in March, we introduced the girls to AI at the root phase. Now, they have undergone that training and are presenting their projects in full. This time around, they are presenting their financial projection plans for investors and their user adoption plans,” Akhaumere said.
She added that the projects had moved beyond classroom exercises, with participants testing their innovations and engaging potential users.
“Their projects are working. They have tested them with at least 20 users in total, and some of these users are currently using the projects. That is what we are working towards,” she said.
Akhaumere urged the government, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to support efforts to equip young people with digital skills, stressing that training programmes must reflect the realities of the learners they are designed to serve.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, noted that advances in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies had created new opportunities for young people, particularly those growing up in an increasingly digital world.
Represented by the Director of IT Infrastructure and Solutions, Oladejo Olawumi, the DG said; “You are at an age where some people describe you as Generation Z, but those of us in the technology field call you digital natives.
“You are growing up at a time when technology is becoming an integral part of everyday life, and that gives you an advantage,” he said.
Olawumi said the projects developed by students from government secondary schools demonstrated how young people could design solutions to address challenges confronting their communities, including limited internet connectivity and inadequate resources.
He encouraged the girls to take advantage of opportunities provided by NITDA, including innovation and entrepreneurship support programmes, to develop their projects further.
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