Ogamba Challenges Africa to Make Women the Architects of Its Tech Revolution

Ogamba Challenges Africa to Make Women the Architects of Its Tech Revolution

Education CS Julius Migos Ogamba addresses delegates during the Women in STEM Africa Summit 2026 in Nairobi.

By Jeff Oyugi 

Nairobi - September 3, 2026

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba has challenged African governments, universities and industry to dismantle barriers holding women back in science and technology, warning that the continent cannot achieve meaningful economic transformation while half of its talent remains on the margins of innovation.

Ogamba said Africa risked losing a critical pool of talent if women and girls continued to face barriers that prevent them from progressing from classrooms into research laboratories, technology companies, investment spaces and policy-making institutions.

Speaking at the Women in STEM Africa Summit 2026, Ogamba said Africa’s technological future would depend on its ability to identify, nurture and connect talent to meaningful opportunities.

He said the continent was “not short of talent”, pointing to young people in schools, universities, technical and vocational institutions, innovation hubs and communities who possess the creativity and curiosity required to develop solutions to Africa’s challenges.

“The future of our continent will not be determined simply by how much technology we import, but by what we are able to create with the talent and resources that are available to us,” Ogamba said.

The CS said the education system must be transformed from one that primarily transmits knowledge and prepares learners for examinations into one that encourages curiosity, creativity, experimentation and problem-solving.

He argued that learners should be equipped not only to understand existing technologies but also to develop solutions to problems affecting their communities.

Ogamba singled out girls as a group requiring deliberate support, noting that social expectations, stereotypes, limited exposure and unequal access to opportunities have historically influenced their participation in STEM careers.

He said representation was critical in changing perceptions about careers traditionally viewed as male dominated.

“When a young girl does not see women scientists, engineers, programmers, researchers, innovators or technology entrepreneurs, she may struggle to imagine herself occupying those spaces,” he said.

Ogamba called for stronger mentorship programmes linking girls with women scientists, engineers, technology entrepreneurs and researchers. He also urged universities and technology companies to provide internships, practical exposure and opportunities for young women to participate in research and innovation.

He said access to education was only the beginning and that stakeholders needed to build a complete STEM pipeline connecting classrooms to skills, innovation, enterprise, investment and ultimately economic impact.

The CS also challenged African countries to stop viewing themselves primarily as consumers of technology developed elsewhere, saying the continent should increase its capacity to create intellectual property and export homegrown technological solutions.

He urged young people to change their mindset from asking, “What job can I get?” to ask, “What problem can I solve?”

According to Ogamba, challenges in agriculture, healthcare, education, financial inclusion and climate change present significant opportunities for African innovators.

He cited precision agriculture, food technology, biotechnology, biomedical engineering, digital health, education technology, financial technology, renewable energy and green technologies as areas where young Africans could develop solutions capable of transforming lives.

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence, he added, made it even more urgent for education systems to equip learners with the skills to understand, develop, govern and responsibly deploy emerging technologies.

Ogamba warned that technological advancement could reproduce existing inequalities if women were excluded from designing emerging technologies.

He called for greater participation of women in artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, robotics, biotechnology and technology policy.

“We need women not only to use artificial intelligence, but also to build it, to research it, govern it and shape the way it is deployed in our societies,” he said.

The CS further emphasised the importance of teachers in driving the transformation of STEM education, saying educators needed continuous training to keep pace with technological changes.

He urged schools to cultivate learning environments where students could ask questions, experiment, design, build, test, fail and try again, arguing that failure should be treated as part of the learning process rather than the end of learning.

He also called for stronger partnerships between government, universities, research institutions, industry, investors and innovators to ensure that promising ideas can move from conception to sustainable enterprises.

“Industry can help us understand emerging skills and provide opportunities for young people to gain practical experience. Universities and research institutions can strengthen research and development, while investors can provide the capital necessary for promising ideas and businesses to grow,” Ogamba said.

Beatrice Inyangala, who also addressed the summit, said the continent must now shift the conversation on women in STEM from access to agency and leadership.

Inyangala posed a challenge to stakeholders on what Africa would look like if every girl with the curiosity to ask questions had the opportunity to become the woman who discovers the answers.

She painted a picture of girls from rural communities becoming engineers designing irrigation systems, scientists developing vaccines and technology entrepreneurs creating thousands of jobs.

“The next generation of great African breakthroughs is sitting somewhere, waiting for someone to open the door,” Inyangala said.

She said although efforts to increase girls’ access to mathematics, science, engineering, medicine, computing and physical sciences had yielded progress, more needed to be done to ensure women reached decision-making and leadership positions.

“Getting through the door is not the same as getting at the table,” she said, urging stakeholders to move from access to agency, participation to leadership, and from women being users of technology to becoming creators of technology.

Inyangala cited UNESCO data indicating that women accounted for about 31 per cent of researchers globally in 2023, while women represented roughly one-third of researchers in sub-Saharan Africa.

She said the figures were not merely about gender representation but about human capital, economic competitiveness and national development.

Africa’s challenges in agriculture, health, climate change, manufacturing, energy and digital transformation, she said, required locally generated research and solutions rather than continued dependence on imported technologies.

Education CS Julius Migos Ogamba and PS Beatrice Muganda Inyangala during the Women in STEM Africa Summit 2026 in Nairobi.

The summit brought together government officials, academia, researchers, industry players, development partners, entrepreneurs and young people to discuss ways of strengthening women’s participation in STEM.

Ogamba urged stakeholders to treat the summit as more than a two-day gathering, calling for its discussions to translate into mentorship programmes, research partnerships, investments, policy action and employment opportunities.

He also urged investors to view women-led technology businesses as sources of economic value and innovation rather than solely through the lens of social responsibility.

“Women must be researchers, engineers, technology founders, investors, policymakers, educators and leaders. This is not simply a question of equality. It is an economic imperative,” he said.

Ogamba said empowering women in STEM would have benefits extending beyond individual careers, influencing families, communities and future generations.

He called for deliberate investment in African talent, research institutions, enterprises and intellectual property, saying Africa had an opportunity to leapfrog traditional development pathways through its youthful population, expanding digital economy and growing technology ecosystem.

He challenged young women at the summit to reject stereotypes, pursue ambitious ideas and remain willing to experiment and learn from failure.

“Do not wait for permission to innovate,” he told them, insisting that Africa’s future should be shaped by Africans themselves, with women and girls occupying a central role in designing that future.