It has been said time and again that Africa has immense potential to transform its economy and that of the world, and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education has a huge role to play in this regard. Over the next decade, STEM job openings requiring STEM literacy are expected to increase by the thousands, according to thestempedia.com, and Africa, whose labour force is projected to surpass that of India and China by 2040, stands to benefit the most. But to derive these benefits, Africa’s burgeoning young population will have to be equipped with requisite skills for the 21st century economy hinged on STEM education.

The continent currently lags behind the rest of the world in STEM education, with less than 25 percent of African higher education students pursuing STEM-related career fields and more students pursuing social sciences and humanities, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB).

To make quality STEM education available, accessible and cost-effective across Africa is possible. However, the burden cannot be borne by government alone. It requires collaborations through public private partnerships with global agencies, NGOs, Ministries of Education across Africa, multinational corporations, financial institutions and telecommunication companies. This is where Wings of Justice Africa, has stepped in to create impact through its product, GetBundi having realised the criticality of STEM education to Africa’s future.

Indeed, as Adefunke Ekine, Associate Professor of Childhood Education at Tai Solarin University of Education, and Ayotola Aremu, Professor of Educational Technology at University of Ibadan, have observed,

“Without a huge investment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, Africa will not achieve the goals the African Union has laid out in her 2063 agenda.”

To be clear, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, a long-term framework intended to transform the African continent over a 50-year period, aspires for inclusive growth and sustainable education programmes that can ensure skills revolution emphasising innovation, science, and technology. The Agenda 2063 projects that by 2063 Africa should be a continent where “well educated and skilled citizens, underpinned by science, technology, and innovation for a knowledgeable society is the norm and no child misses school due to poverty”.

High quality, STEM-based secondary education that is accessible to all will, no doubt, prepare youths to enter the workforce, improve productivity, and spur economic transformation, unlocking a virtuous cycle of both human and economic development. However, STEM education in Africa is bogged down by issues around cost, access, quality, and teachers’ welfare.

Mr. Osita Oparaugo is of the strong view that Africa must embrace and prepare its populace for a future driven by technology, ensuring that the continent emerges as a global competitor.

Indeed, EdTech has the capacity to contribute so much in turning Africa’s fortunes around. With the right support, EdTech may begin the journey towards reversing the current trend where a continent that boasts 60 percent of the world’s arable lands, 30 percent of the world’s reserve of minerals, and the world’s youngest population, ironically, produces only “3 percent of global GDP, accounts for less than 3 percent of international trade (mainly primary commodities and natural resources), and shoulders 25 percent of the global disease burden”.