STEM Africa Fest is widening access to science and technology education as it gears up for its sixth edition, with organizers unveiling plans to provide free participation for underserved children while expanding the initiative beyond Lagos.
Speaking during a media briefing in Lagos, the organisers announced that at least 20 per cent of participants at the 2026 festival will attend at no cost.
The initiative, supported by strategic partners, will also cover transportation and feeding for beneficiaries drawn from public schools, non-governmental organisations and SOS Children’s Villages.
The flagship edition of the festival is scheduled for July 18, 2026, at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos.
This year’s programme will also extend to other cities, beginning with Ilorin, as part of a broader strategy to make hands-on STEM education more accessible to children and teenagers across Nigeria.
Co-founder and Co-organiser of STEM Africa Fest, Titi Adewusi, said the festival was built on the principle that every child deserves access to quality science and technology education, regardless of their background.
“From inception, our goal has been to make participation as accessible as possible, with targeted interventions to widen access for underserved communities.
Importantly, at least 20 per cent of attendees participate at no cost, with transportation and feeding fully covered through our partners, enabling us to reach public schools, NGOs, and SOS villages,” she said.
Adewusi noted that inclusion remains a key pillar of the initiative, adding that the organisers are particularly committed to encouraging more girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“As female founders, we are passionate about ensuring that girls are not only represented but empowered to succeed in STEM, helping to build a more diverse pipeline of future innovators across Africa,” she added.
This year’s edition is themed “Building Future Innovators,” reflecting the organisers’ focus on practical learning experiences that allow children to explore science and technology through real-world applications rather than traditional classroom instruction.
Co-organiser, Mrs Jadesola Adedeji, explained that the festival was established to bridge the gap between theoretical education and practical STEM learning.
“STEM Africa Fest was created to respond to the growing need to make STEM education more accessible, practical and engaging for children across Nigeria,” she said.
According to Adedeji, many young learners perceive STEM subjects as complex and disconnected from everyday life, limiting their interest in science and technology from an early age.
She said the festival addresses this challenge through immersive, hands-on experiences designed to help children see how technology can solve real-world problems.
Beyond being an annual event, Adedeji described STEM Africa Fest as an ecosystem that connects educators, innovators, technology professionals and development partners working to strengthen STEM education across Africa.
“We see ourselves as ecosystem builders. This festival is not just an event; it is an advocacy platform aimed at making STEM education mainstream across Africa.
We also spotlight the work of partners and organisations contributing to the ecosystem, and each edition continues to generate new collaborations and impactful projects,” she said.
The organisers expressed concern over the shortage of STEM professionals across Sub-Saharan Africa, attributing part of the challenge to limited access to practical science and technology education at an early age.
They noted that Nigeria’s education system still places significant emphasis on theoretical learning, leaving many students with limited exposure to coding, robotics, engineering design and innovation-focused problem-solving.
To address this gap, the 2026 edition will feature interactive STEM laboratories, robotics demonstrations, coding and game development competitions, artificial intelligence and machine learning workshops, engineering innovation labs, drone technology sessions and live science experiments.
Participants will also benefit from career sessions designed to introduce them to opportunities in emerging technology fields and the global innovation ecosystem.
The festival will equally host dedicated sessions for parents, teachers and school administrators, focusing on how experiential STEM learning can be integrated into classrooms to improve student engagement and educational outcomes.
Since launching in 2021, STEM Africa Fest says it has impacted more than 25,000 children, parents, educators and students across Nigeria and several African countries, including Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, Zambia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia.
Organizers said registration remains open to schools, families, educators and students, with participation details available through the festival’s official communication channels.
