This Eighteen-Year-Old is on a Mission to Make STEM More Inclusive for Girls

Changemaker’s Journey 

Naomi’s journey into STEM began during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 when she discovered coding and web development. This led her into the tech community, where she attended hackathons—intensive events where participants have 24 to 70 hours to build tech-based projects. It was at these events that she noticed a stark imbalance: most participants were male. 

Later, Naomi and her co-founder had the opportunity to attend an all-female international hackathon. However, they were unable to take part because they couldn’t find enough girls with similar interests to form a team. This moment of exclusion sparked a realisation that only about 22% of girls and women in Nigeria are in STEM. The question of what to do to solve this problem and bridge the gap birthed The Girls Techie. 

One of Naomi’s biggest challenges when starting out was seeking mentorship from women who had inspired her through their stories, only to receive no responses. This frustration fueled her determination to provide young girls with direct access to female mentors in STEM through her initiative – The Girls Techie. By leveraging her platform, she ensures that aspiring girls can now ask successful women questions and learn directly from their experiences. 

The Initiative 

The Girls Techie is a female-centred non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering, connecting, and inspiring the next generation of young girls in STEM. 

At its core, The Girls Techie provides mentorship opportunities by pairing girls with seasoned women in STEM based on their interests and passions, STEM-focused workshops to equip these girls with technical skills and confidence, and a collaborative online support network that fosters engagement, learning, and peer support. 

Impact

Naomi and her co-founder have partnered with STEM-forward organisations like ADU (African Digital Upskill Initiative) to host tech workshops for young girls. 

She shares the story of a girl who joined The Girls Techie’s coding development workshop in 2022. Today, that same girl is a core team member and developer, actively contributing to the growth and success of the organisation. 

The Girls Techie has empowered many girls by bringing high-achieving women in tech to share their journeys and inspire the next generation to break barriers. 

Thanks to these mentorship programmes, mentees have gained technical skills and successfully pursued careers in STEM. 

Future Aspirations

The Girls Techie plans to expand its reach locally and globally by collaborating with organisations in STEM both in Nigeria and internationally. 

STEM has a gender gap, but Naomi Bamgbose is steadily proving that the future of tech is female. 

Everyone a Changemaker 

“I believe changemaking doesn’t have to be big. It can start from your home, community, and wherever you are. For us to have a brighter and better future, we all have to be changemakers.” 

Naomi also emphasises that every changemaker must develop strong communication skills. 

“As a changemaker, you should be able to communicate your problems, solutions, process, and passion with other people.” 

Her advice to aspiring changemakers? Stop procrastinating and take action...because nobody becomes a success overnight.