Amanda Obidike (AO) is the Executive Director of STEMi Makers Africa. In this role she provides leadership, strategy management and oversees the design and implementation of sustainable community projects and STEM Education across 17 Sub-Saharan countries. She works by preparing the next generation of Africans with STEM lucrative skills for Africa's workforce. Forbes Science named her as the Nigerian changing the culture fabric for young girls to embrace STEM. In addition to STEM, Amanda addresses thematic topics on Social Innovation, Data Science, Youth Development and reform in the Education Curriculum. She serves as a Mentor in the New York Academy of Science, Cherie Blair Foundation and 1million Women in Tech and Global thinkers for Women where she lends her voice and knowledge, and serves as a role model to girls in Africa. She was given the Technology Rising Star Award by WOC; Michigan Positive Impact Award of Athena40: The World Most Innovative Women, 2020; 100 Leading Ladies in Africa, and Role Model Finalist in Booking.com Technology Playmakers Awards, for successfully championing diversity for the girl child. Currently, she serves on the Leadership Board of the 500 Women Scientists and is writing a Research paper on the "Digital Transformation for Development: e-learning, lifelong learning and Education Strategy.” 500 Women Scientists leadership member Rosie Dutt (RD) had the opportunity to speak with Amanda to understand more about her journey.
When did you first identify as a scientist? What does your work center on today?
My work focuses on three main areas: addressing the leaky unemployment pipeline, the under-representation of young women and girls in STEM, and the integration of STEM education in marginalized communities across Sub-Saharan Africa. More than 40.5 million young women are unemployed, and 95.8 million young people are employed but living in poverty due to significant STEM-related skill gaps. My work began in a quest to learn, research, and support developmental efforts in generating talents needed to become technology problem-solvers and innovators. Before becoming a Data Scientist, I was part of this cultural narrative. I began to explore STEM fields in 2015, when I was unemployed and depressed. The meaningful and lucrative jobs available required technical skills that I did not originally have upon graduating from University. Nigeria also began to transfer major resources and job opportunities to skilled professionals and expatriates due to the lack of a domestic STEM workforce. Seeing this economic disparity, I began to research new labor market skills that youths like me could successfully thrive in. I was given the opportunity to be trained by IBM in Business Intelligence/Data Analytics. Following this life-changing experience, I took the initiative to start preparing Africans with 21st-century skills and future-focused options for our changing workforce.
As the executive director of STEMi Makers Africa, can you tell us a bit about your work with them, the inspiration behind the project and what it seeks to achieve.
I founded STEMi Makers Africa to facilitate employment, innovation, and inclusion and empower talent with STEM emerging tools and hands-on problem-solving skills that they need to excel in STEM pathways and become more experienced for Africa’s Workforce. At STEMi Makers Africa we are planning ahead to ensure the younger generation do not feel displaced and disconnected from the world we live in today. Based on current indicators, the growing economic resurgence in Africa is driving a demand for specialized STEM skills. We have a mandate to continue working to build an "Africa By Us, For Us" – a STEM ecosystem that prepares a diverse young talent pool with skills to match world-standards in STEM. We have various initiatives that cut across 19 Sub-Saharan countries like STEM Integration and Development training for Teachers, a learning platform for young students, Project Kuongoza (a Mentorship program for young women and girls), young Inventors Summer Bootcamp and Future STEMite Tournament to name a few.
As a Global WomenTech Ambassador, can you tell us a bit about your work with them, the inspiration behind the network, and what it seeks to achieve?
The WomenTech Network is a growing community that unites 100,000 women, minorities, and allies in technology through networking sessions, tech job fairs, webinars, and an interactive platform. As a global ambassador, STEMi Makers Africa and I helped to champion this movement by hosting women from all over the world during the three-day WomenTech conference. The WTGC 2020 participants had the chance to meet and network with people from varied demographic and professional backgrounds. I believe in the power of collaboration and seeing women in STEM working together towards achieving a common goal by: bringing more diversity, closing the gender technology gap, and making sure women are part of the current and future innovators.
What other work do you do?
I serve in the Leadership Team of the 500 Women Scientists where I assist the Pods’ programs, the Request a Woman Scientist initiative and help define strategic partnerships with organizations that share similar missions and values to the organization. Joining the 500 Women Scientists Leadership board has been one of the most rewarding experiences of 2020. It is a diverse and unique community of women who are leading efforts towards ensuring that Science is equitable, inclusive, and accessible. Not only do we ensure that science is open for women, we design various programs and work towards ensuring justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (JEDI), proper representation of women is science, and transforming the culture of oppressive norms which exist within our society.
What is the best piece of advice you have received over your career?
Two words and that is: DO IT. The limitations, stereotyping, and fear will be there, but I was told by my mother to take that risk and… do it! This advice was timely and tough to take because I was offered this wisdom when I was contemplating changing my career. I had a lot of questions and concerns like what can I do next? How will I cope with no experience and background in Science? Will I find fulfillment? But it was a risk worth taking. I was open to learning and took my first baby steps in 2018 where I established STEMi Makers Africa.
Share an example of something you have been a part of, created, led, or joined that you consider unique.
13 out of the 15 countries in the world, where more than 30% of secondary school-aged girls are out of school, reside in Sub-Saharan Africa and MENA Nations. As girls get older, the gender gap in education steadily widens. By upper secondary school there are social exclusion and gender disparities in 91% of 21 countries. Recently, I led a cross-functional team in designing a technology solution that makes STEM equitable, inclusive, and diverse for young women in MENA nations and Sub-Saharan Africa. This technology solution: Project Kuonoza, combines capacity development in STEM, and employment opportunities to help young women and girls aged between 15 -35 to access new markets, work flexibly and integrate those learned skills needed for the workplace following mentorship. We championed the highest groundbreaking record of 895 young girls in history and provided career opportunities to 118 women. Our solution also serves as a keystone to collect gender-disaggregated data, impact them with these lucrative skills and inform digital policies where we have corrected the existing cultural, social gender biases and stereotypes across the four regions of Africa.
When you are not busy implementing projects or coordinating STEM Outreach activities, how do you relax and unwind?
Outside of work, I love teaching children. Children are fun and naturally inquisitive. It is a way of relaxing because they unconsciously make me see the world through their eyes — that is, taking life easy and steady. This made me design a library in my community to improve the literacy of children and teenagers. This library also serves as a space for their project-based activities, after-school programs, reading hub, and design sessions to understand leadership and moral values.