Women in STEM Summit champions economic opportunities for female innovators

At the Summit, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba highlighted the importance of foundational learning and equal access for young girls across the continent.

"The Africa we want to build will require a generation that is confident in science, technology, engineering and mathematics," Ogamba stated.

"Our responsibility is to ensure that girls are given the same opportunity to learn, experiment, innovate and lead. We must create education systems that do not only prepare young people to look for jobs, but also empower them to become creators of knowledge, technology and solutions," he added. 

Organized by Women in Technology and Innovation Africa in partnership with UNESCO, the two-day event brought together policymakers, technology executives, researchers, and investors under the theme "Discovering Talent. Driving Innovation. Shaping Africa’s Future".

In addition, Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs Development, Wycliffe Oparanya, emphasized the importance of linking scientific innovation with market opportunities and enterprise.

"Africa cannot build a competitive economy by producing ideas without creating pathways for those ideas to become enterprises," Oparanya said.

"We must ensure that women and young innovators have access to skills, finance, markets and the networks required to turn innovation into sustainable businesses. When we invest in women in STEM, we are investing directly in Africa’s economic future".

Echoing these calls for systemic support, Principal Secretary for Higher Education and Research, Dr. Beatrice Inyangala urged universities to transition into dynamic engines of entrepreneurship.

"Our universities must become more than places where knowledge is transferred. They must become engines of research, innovation, entrepreneurship and problem-solving. We must create pathways for women researchers, scientists, engineers and innovators to move their ideas from laboratories and classrooms into the marketplace and into communities where they can create impact," Inyangala noted.

The summit featured high-level policy dialogues on artificial intelligence governance, data privacy, and inclusion, alongside an Investor Pitch Arena that awarded a winning startup Ksh.500,000 to scale its business.

Here, WITIA leadership underscored that representation alone is insufficient in sparking innovation.

"We do not want to build an Africa where women are simply participants in the technology economy. We want an Africa where women are designing the technologies, leading companies, conducting the research, shaping policy and building the solutions that will define our future," said Eunice Pohlmann, Founder and Chair of WITIA.

WITIA Fundraising and Partnerships Lead Gracie Wamwandu added that single institutions cannot transform the ecosystem in isolation.

"The conversations at this Summit demonstrate that no single organisation can build Africa’s innovation ecosystem alone. We need government, industry, universities, investors and development partners working together to create pathways for women from the classroom to the laboratory, from the laboratory to the market and from the market to global impact," Wamwandu remarked.

The 2026 Summit was supported by a range of organisations committed to advancing education, technology, youth empowerment, entrepreneurship and innovation. Key partners included Plan International Kenya, Isuzu East Africa, Open University of Kenya and UNICAF, alongside UNESCO and other stakeholders from the public, private, academic and development sectors.