Africa risks losing a significant share of its brightest minds to slow adoption of innovation and persistent gender inequality unless stakeholders introduce deliberate interventions early in girls’ education, experts have warned.
The experts, including educators and industry professionals, gave the warning in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
They said the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) begins at an early age, making early intervention critical to reversing the trend.
They called for coordinated measures to remove barriers confronting girls and create inclusive learning and professional environments where they can thrive in science and technology.
A school proprietor and computer science graduate, Mrs Aisha Ahmad, said available data indicated that women accounted for less than 30 percent of Nigeria’s STEM workforce.
Ahmad said women remained underrepresented in leadership and research positions across the sector.
“Across Nigeria and Africa, the fields of STEM remain disproportionately male-dominated, with women and girls significantly underrepresented in classrooms, research labs, boardrooms, and innovation hubs.
“Cultural barriers, systemic biases, and limited access to opportunities continue to discourage countless young women from pursuing these paths,” she said.
She noted that although STEM professionals were increasingly in demand, many girls lost interest in science and mathematics as early as secondary school.
“Girls are discouraged very early by cultural norms that frame these subjects as ‘too hard’ or ‘for boys’.
“This is where the problem lies and should be tackled early to create safe learning environments both at home and in schools,” Ahmad said.
Also, Dr Amara Okafor, a Computer Science lecturer at Benue State Polytechnic, Gboko, and an advocate for women in technology, said efforts to encourage girls into STEM must begin long before they choose careers.
“We should not wait until university to tell girls they can be scientists,” she said.
Okafor called for the introduction of STEM concepts at the primary-school level through toys, games and practical activities, while deliberately encouraging girls to see themselves as future scientists, engineers and innovators.
“We need to introduce STEM concepts in primary school through toys, games, and hands-on activities and explicitly tell girls they can also belong here.
“Your ideas matter. You can build the future. When a six-year-old girl sees herself as an inventor, nothing can stop her later,” she said.
She also urged schools to create safe and inclusive environments where girls can ask questions, make mistakes and lead projects without fear of discrimination or dismissal.
Similarly, an engineer and technical expert, Ms Zainab Bello, identified representation and mentorship as important drivers of change beyond early exposure.
“When a girl meets a woman engineer, scientist, or technology entrepreneur, someone she looks up to, who shares her background, then everything changes,” she said.
Bello urged public and private education stakeholders to establish structured mentorship programs, internships and job-shadowing opportunities linking secondary school girls with women already working in STEM fields.
“When they see our struggles, successes, and daily lives, they will realize the career is not only possible, but it is achievable for them too,” she said.
Bello also called on media organizations to showcase more women working in STEM, saying greater visibility could challenge stereotypes and present science and technology careers as exciting and achievable options for girls.
