The ExxonMobil Foundation, in collaboration with Junior Achievement Africa, is empowering over 1,500 secondary school students across Africa through its 2025 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Africa programme. Launched in Abuja, Nigeria, the initiative aims to nurture the next generation of innovators by equipping students with skills and resources to excel in STEM-related careers.
Spanning four African nations—Nigeria, Angola, Namibia, and Mozambique—the programme features weekly quizzes, regional competitions, and innovation camps designed to enhance critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving abilities among participants.
In a statement made available to our correspondent, the Executive Director of Junior Achievement Nigeria, Ugonna Achebe, emphasized the programme’s goal of maximizing its reach by targeting a new cohort of students each year.
“At Junior Achievement, we are committed to equipping young people with the tools they need to become digitally savvy leaders,” Achebe said during the launch event, which included a quiz contest among five schools. “Students who participated last year are not part of this year’s programme. This ensures that we reach as many students as possible and provide them with the skills to become conscientious business leaders and innovative thinkers.”
He added, “Our focus is on improving students’ critical thinking and collaboration skills because these competencies will enable them to drive meaningful change and contribute to national development.”
Representing the Managing Director of ExxonMobil subsidiaries in Nigeria, Shane Harris, the Community Relations and Operations Manager, Nigel Cookey-Gam, explained the foundation’s motivation for supporting the initiative. “We identified that STEM is an area where interest is lacking, particularly among girls. Our goal is to build enthusiasm and encourage more students to pursue careers in these fields,” he said.
Harris highlighted that the programme is not limited to Nigeria but is being implemented simultaneously in four countries, including Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, and other regions where ExxonMobil operates. “This initiative is about exposure and capacity building. It’s not just about winning; it’s about equipping students with the knowledge and skills to thrive in STEM,” he stated.
According to Harris, the programme has already reached over 6,000 students across Africa through its weekly STEM quizzes, zonal competitions, and hands-on innovation camps. He revealed that participating students in Nigeria recorded a remarkable 212 per cent improvement in their STEM knowledge quiz scores, significantly narrowing the knowledge gap on STEM topics.
At the conclusion of the 2024 edition, students presenting the most promising STEM solutions will be selected to represent Nigeria at a regional industry conference in South Africa.
In a goodwill message, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation Maria Okhilo, representing the Director-Secretary of the FCT Secondary Education Board, Mohamed Sani, praised the initiative. “Our students have gained immensely from this programme, broadening their innovative scientific horizons. Thanks to this partnership, our children now view their environment and challenges through a new lens of creativity and possibility,” she said.
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