AU CIEFFA youth workshop./ PHOTO ; Courtesy
The African Union International Centre for Girls and Women’s Education (AU CIEFFA) has opened a Continental Youth Capacity Building Workshop on Girls in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) in Nairobi, Kenya.
The event has been running from 25 November and will continue to the 28 under the theme: “Empowering Girls in STEAM: Innovating for Inclusive and Gender-Responsive Education in Africa.”
Organised with support from UN Women, the workshop aims to strengthen the skills of young women leaders in STEAM and AU CIEFFA alumni, especially in digital and financial literacy.
It also seeks to boost advocacy for girls’ STEAM education, advance the #AfricaEducatesHER Campaign, and highlight grassroots initiatives led by young women improving education in their communities.
Speaking for Kenya’s Ministry of Education, Dr. Elyas Abdi, Director General, reaffirmed the country’s dedication to STEAM:
“Kenya’s commitment to STEAM education is anchored in the national reforms guided by the government’s Kenya Kwanza Education Charter and the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform (PWPER). These frameworks prioritise strengthening STEM and STEAM pathways, expanding digital learning, enhancing teacher professionalism, upgrading laboratories, and promoting gender equity across all levels of education.”
The workshop recognises women making strides in STEAM, including those from the AU Go-Gal Top 10 innovators and AGCCI Alumni.
Although there has been progress, girls in Africa are still underrepresented in STEAM. Women make up just 35% of STEM graduates, a number that has not improved in ten years.
AU CIEFFA Coordinator Mrs. Simone Yankey noted:
“For far too long, science has been viewed as a domain reserved for boys and men. While this narrative is gradually shifting, the representation of girls and women in STEAM remains disproportionately low. Yet, young African girls possess the curiosity, creativity, and intellectual rigour required to drive innovation. What they have often lacked is not talent, but equitable access to technology, inspiring female role models, and an educational environment that nurtures and believes in their potential.”
Participants include young people and STEAM experts from 24 AU Member States, most of whom are women.
The World Bank Group’s representative, Mr. Saifeddine Ben Mhenni, and Dr. Olubusayo Akinola of the AUC’s Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development, also shared updates on ongoing STEAM initiatives across Africa.
UN Women Kenya Programme Specialist, Mr. Joshua Musyimi, stressed the need for strong policies:
“It is critical not only to equip girls with digital and leadership skills, but also to advocate for policies that guarantee their access to technology, and to push for national education systems to integrate gender, ICT, and coding-related skills. Only then can we ensure that digital inclusion is not a privilege, but a right and that the achievements of AGCCI (African Girls Can Code) reach more girls, in more communities, for generations to come.”
Supported by the World Bank’s East Africa Girls’ Empowerment and Resilience (EAGER) program, the workshop aligns with AU CIEFFA’s Strategic Axis 3 on STEAM and Skills Development.
It also supports wider continental goals, including Agenda 2063, CESA 16–25, and outcomes from the 2024 Conference on Transforming STEM in Africa, co-hosted by the AU and UNESCO in Addis Ababa.
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