In classrooms across Uyo and Calabar, teenage girls hunch over laptops, their fingers tapping out lines of code that could one day reshape Africa’s digital landscape. Behind these scenes stands Grace Ihejiamaizu, a Nigerian social innovator determined to change who leads the continent’s tech revolution.
As South-South Nigeria chapter Ambassador for the global Technovation Girls programme, Ihejiamaizu has spent the past decade equipping girls aged 8 to 18 with coding and entrepreneurial skills. This year alone, 20 teams from underserved communities in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States pitched mobile app solutions tackling challenges from climate change to mental health.
“These girls aren’t just building apps; they’re building belief in themselves as leaders,” Ihejiamaizu said. “Africa’s next generation of changemakers will come from communities where girls are rarely told they can lead in tech. That’s who I show up for.”
Technovation, now active in over 100 countries, teaches girls to code, develop mobile applications, and craft business plans, culminating in regional and global pitch events. In South-South Nigeria, participation has increased significantly since Ihejiamaizu assumed her ambassadorial role in 2019.
Among this year’s standout teams were developers who integrated sign language into apps to enhance accessibility, a move praised by judges as both technically innovative and socially conscious.
For many participants, the programme marked their first time presenting ideas publicly, a milestone for girls often underrepresented in STEM fields.
“Today, Nigeria is scripting a chapter defined not by what lies beneath our soil but by the ingenuity rising from our people,” said Dr. Kazeem Raji, Director General of the National Board for Technology Incubation, addressing the young innovators.
Ihejiamaizu, 34, is no stranger to global recognition. In 2015, she mentored Team Charis, the first Nigerian and African team to win the Technovation Global Pitch in San Francisco. Their journey was later featured in a Google-produced documentary on YouTube, highlighting African girls breaking into the technology field.
Beyond Technovation, she founded the iKapture Centre for Development and Opportunity Desk, both dedicated to empowering young Africans through skills training and global opportunities.
Experts say initiatives like Technovation are crucial for bridging Nigeria’s gender gap in STEM, where women make up a fraction of the tech workforce despite high levels of digital adoption.
With three teams from this year’s regional event advancing to the global semi-finals, Ihejiamaizu believes the ripple effects are only beginning.
“This is not just about apps,” she said. “It’s about building a Nigeria and an Africa where girls see themselves as the ones creating the future.”
TALKING POINTS
Corporate sponsors are stepping up, but whose agenda are they serving? MTN, Zoho, and other sponsors are investing in tech events. Great. But let’s not kid ourselves: corporate involvement often comes with strings attached. Are they nurturing local innovation, or just recruiting cheap talent for their pipelines?
The culture-tech fusion is exciting, but does it dilute focus from solving hard problems? Afropop performances at tech events feel fresh and uniquely African. But there’s a risk: too much entertainment can overshadow the urgency of tackling systemic issues like data privacy, cybersecurity, and regulatory reform. Are we distracting ourselves with parties while digital challenges deepen?
Ibadan is rising, and that’s a story worth fighting for. Despite skepticism, it’s thrilling to see Ibadan getting a tech moment. Nigeria needs more than one tech capital.
If Cirvee and similar initiatives keep momentum, we could witness a true democratization of the digital economy. But let’s not settle for hashtags and hype. The real test is whether these events translate into jobs, startups, and homegrown innovation that lifts entire communities
