We are excited to have completed our 2024 WAAW Foundation Fellows Summit, in Accra, Ghana.  We are currently reflecting on an experience that left our attendees excited for the future in STEM, and we couldn’t be more happy. During the summit, we saw the impact of innovation, learning, engagement, and shared purpose in advancing STEM education for African women.

The Fellows Summit is designed to equip young women with the skills, knowledge, and networks needed to lead, innovate, and inspire in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This year’s summit not only built on past success but also saw amazing results that we are confident will shape the future of our Fellows for good. This year’s summit brought together 28 young women from Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, and Benin Republic. 

Inspiring Keynotes and Sessions

Throughout the summit, our Fellows had the privilege to hear from thought leaders and industry experts. Some of the highlights included the memory game and Arduino programming sessions, wind energy power and blade design, personal time sessions, mastering communication and presentations, and so on. It was really transformational for the fellows as they connected personally and learnt the success stories of the different facilitators.  Dr. Cheryl challenged the Fellows to harness their STEM education as a tool for societal transformation and impact. 

Engaging Workshops and Presentations 

The Fellows didn’t just listen—they created! A standout part of the summit was the practical, hands-on workshops. One workshop focused on robotics, another on scratch programming, etc. 

“During the summit, Fellows participated in group projects where they worked on different projects and presented them on the last day of the summit. This practical experience helped sharpen their problem-solving skills and boost their confidence in applying theoretical STEM knowledge.”

Other workshops included coding, kaleidoscopes, and wind energy blade design.

Summit by the Numbers

  • 24 young women from 5 African countries attended the summit
  • 10 keynote speakers and industry experts shared their insights
  • 5 hands-on workshops covering robotics, scratch programming, kaleidoscopes 

Feedback and Testimonials from the Fellows

One of the most rewarding aspects of the summit was hearing directly from the Fellows about their experiences. Their feedback highlighted just how impactful the summit was for their personal and professional development:

“I hope to work together with my chapter members to identify our various strengths in the different aspects of STEM we were enlightened on at the summit. From there, we will decide the individuals that will lead the various sections during outreaches.” — Kekeley Awadey, University of Ghana.

“ I am going to engage my peers in frequent meetings to help reach out to other girls ” — Priscilla Mavis, University of Ghana

“I am going to organize an in-house training session for other fellows who were not at the summit and to organize mega outreaches in less privileged senior high schools where girls aren’t likely to be more interested in STEM due to lack of resources – to teach, empower, motivate young girls to get them interested in pursuing a course in STEM.” – Emma Tettsie

 

Visual Highlights from the Summit

The energy at the Fellows Summit was truly infectious. You can view some of the amazing moments we captured by visiting our photo gallery.

Special Thanks to Our Partners and Sponsors

Finally, we would like to extend a special thanks to our partners and sponsors, for their generous support in making the Fellows Summit possible. Their contributions were instrumental in providing resources and creating the environment for the experience. 

Supporting Our Mission

We invite you, our community, to stay engaged with the work we’re doing. By following us on social media, sharing our work, or donating to our programs, you help us reach even more young women across Africa. Here’s how you can help:

  • Donate: Support our mission here
  • Follow Us: Stay updated on our work via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
  • Volunteer: Learn more about volunteering opportunities with WAAW Foundation here

Together, we can continue empowering the next generation of women in STEM!