Vanguard News
July 26, 2026
By Etop Ekanem
The sixth edition of STEM Africa Fest, the annual science, technology, engineering and mathematics fair for children ages 5-15 year returned to Lagos last  weekend, as organisers renewed the call for the urgent integration of practical STEM education into Nigeria’s school curriculum.
The event, held at the Landmark Event Centre Lagos, was attended by about 3,500 children and parents from across Lagos, is part of a larger initiative that organisers say has reached over 25,000 children across Africa in the last six years.
Conveners of the festival, Titi Adewusi and Jadesola Adedeji, disclosed that  the event  was conceived in 2021 during the COVID-19 lockdown to bridge the gap between classroom theory and hands-on learning. 
From a virtual pilot that drew over 1,000 participants globally, the initiative has since expanded to Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Zambia, Rwanda and Kenya, promoting experiential learning through science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, STEAM.
Speaking in an interview, Adewusi said this year’s theme, “Building Future Innovators”, was deliberately chosen to align with the continent’s need for problem-solvers and creative thinkers.
“Children are learning the theories and we wanted to bring the real thing, hands-on,” she said. 
“If you’re teaching a child about 3D printing, we want them to actually experience it. If you’re teaching a child about building robots or AI, we wanted them to experience it.”
Adedeji said the idea for the festival came  from conversations on how to make science more engaging for African children. She noted that the first physical edition attracted over 6,000 attendees, and that demand has since outgrown the founders’ capacity.
According to her, funding, stakeholder mobilisation, and geographic expansion remain key challenges. 
To address this, she stressed that the team has adopted a partnership model that enables collaborators in other states and countries to replicate the programme using a standardised framework.
Both conveners stressed that government support must go beyond grants.
 “We need curriculum development, teacher training and institutional backing for STEM-focused initiatives,” Adedeji said. 
“STEM is not an extracurricular. It must sit at the centre of how we teach.”
Adewusi explained the need for STEM curriculum to be rolled out . She expressed readiness to work with  government agencies and schools to scale adoption in line with SDG 4 on Quality Education
She also stated that a STEM curriculum developed by the organisation is already being piloted in some schools 
Representing Access Holdings, Programme Manager for Sustainability, Ikechukwu Iheagwam, said the company’s continued sponsorship reflects its commitment to education and technology. 
He added that exposure to artificial intelligence and robotics at an early age will better prepare children for future jobs and urge more private sector involvement to complement government efforts.
For participants, the impact was immediate. Jason Lawal of Court Hill College, Opebi, said he joined a Rubix Cube challenge and an AI masterclass where students created short AI-generated animations. Fatima Namama of Greater Ecstasy High School, Iyana-Ipaja, said attending the festival over the years deepened her interest in laboratory science and called for wider integration of STEM in schools.
Organisers noted that the festival’s legacy now extends beyond numbers. 
Some past participants have returned as exhibitors in coding and robotics, a sign, they said, that the initiative is already nurturing the next generation of African innovators.

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