CEE-HOPE, in collaboration with Yellow Rose Launchpad, has initiated the Girls Take-Tech Advance Program in Makoko, a Lagos slum community, aiming to empower 1,000 girls across three states with coding skills.
The program, spearheaded by CEE-HOPE, focuses on providing STEM education opportunities to girls from low-income backgrounds, offering them the chance to excel in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
During the program’s launch at the CEE-HOPE community center in Makoko, retired USA diplomat and Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Atim Eneida George, motivated the girls, emphasizing the importance of seizing the opportunity presented to them. She encouraged them to persevere in their journey, emphasizing the power of belief and determination in achieving success.
Executive Director of CEE-HOPE, Betty Abah, explained that the initiative builds on a previous ICT Empowerment program, aiming to elevate girls’ skills from basic computer knowledge to advanced coding and Artificial Intelligence expertise, essential in today’s tech-driven world.
Abah highlighted the program’s focus on girls from low-income communities, where access to computer and STEM education is limited, often due to inadequate resources in public schools. She emphasized the need to bridge this gap and empower girls with essential tech skills.
The program’s expansion beyond Lagos to other states, starting with Abuja, demonstrates its commitment to reaching more girls in low-income communities and ensuring inclusivity across different regions.
Ayodeji Aduloju, a coding trainer, emphasized the importance of coding for girls, citing scientific evidence of their biological advantage in grasping coding concepts. Despite this advantage, Aduloju expressed disappointment in the lack of support from the government, urging stakeholders to invest in ICT infrastructure to facilitate girls’ learning and development.
The Girls Take-Tech Advance Program represents a concerted effort to equip girls from underserved communities with the skills and opportunities needed to thrive in the digital age, paving the way for their future success and contribution to national development.
Lerins Williams, a musicology expert, researcher and Fulbright Scholar also at the event encouraged the girls to stay focused.
“I am a researcher and I want everyone of you to look up to a woman that has inspired you and you ought to be that person for someone else,” she said.
She also urged them to write their specific dreams and work at them.
“I want you to daily write down your specific dreams. I have traveled to different places, I speak different languages, you too can become who you want to become, she admonished.