The National Girls Iridescent Technovation Challenge organized by the Women in Technology in Nigeria (WITIN) will hold in April this year. Already, the regional level of the competition has begun in Lagos and Ogun State while the eastern edition of the competition will be held on February 1 in Delta State.
According to WITIN, more than 50 girls from about 13 secondary schools participated in the western region edition of the challenge that was held last week in Lagos and Ogun States.
It revealed that the participating schools were Queensland Academy, Vivian Fowler, Fountain Heights, UNILAG International School, Flor-Peak Comprehensive College, Homeland College, Honeyland Schools, King David Model School, and several others.
Speaking on the competition, the Coordinator and President of WITIN, Martha Omoekpe-Alade, said each team that participated in the challenge worked with both a classroom teacher at their school and a female mentor/role model.
She said the challenge was the largest and longest-running global technology competition exclusively for girls to inspire the pursuit of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).
“This contest allows girls to learn how to code and develop mobile apps, conduct market research, write business plans and create a pitch for funding. They are also taught life skills such as how to identify a problem, design and test a solution, collaborate with a team and communicate to different audiences,” she said.
She added that the initiative is in line with the Ministry of Communication Technology’s drive to bridge the growing gap in ICT between young females and their male counterparts.
The world challenge will be held in California, United States in May this year.
