The Tech Girls Club has urged Nigerian schoolgirls to leverage technology and data to develop solutions to societal challenges as it opened the Ibadan edition of its AI/Data Science for Her Boot Camp on Monday.
The Principal Investigator of the project, Dr Ronke Sakpere, gave the charge at the opening of the Ibadan boot camp.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the STEM-based boot camp was organised by the Tech Girls Club and sponsored by the Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS).
Sakpere said the programme was designed to bridge the opportunity gap for African girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), explaining that AI was ultimately about “using data to help people make smart decisions.”
She noted that many African girls lacked sufficient opportunities to demonstrate their abilities, particularly in technical fields.
According to her, the training would introduce participants to digital foundations, data analysis, Excel, Python programming, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
“AI essentially involves using data to help people make smart decisions, with various applications, including navigation and traffic management, among other usages.
“The programme seeks to expand opportunities for girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and also train them to develop solutions that are AI-driven,” Sakpere said.
Also, the Co-founder of the Educational Advancement Centre (EAC) and keynote speaker, Pastor Adeola Bamgbose, challenged the girls to look beyond merely earning certificates.
“Strive to become builders, who uphold integrity and responsible data practices, such as protecting privacy and eliminating algorithmic bias.
“The world does not need more consumers of AI, but women who will build AI with wisdom,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ms Wonderful Osalor, Project Manager of AI/Data Science for Her, said the Ibadan boot camp was the sixth and final edition of the project, following editions held in Ilorin, Nsukka, Port Harcourt, Yola and Zaria.
Osalor said participants would progress from basic digital skills to Excel, Python programming, machine learning, classification, prediction, data visualisation and linear regression.
She added that the fifth day of the boot camp would feature an innovation challenge and project showcase, where participants would demonstrate solutions developed from problems they had identified in their communities.
According to her, participants would work in groups to identify problems and progressively apply the skills acquired during the training to develop solutions.
Dr Muyiwa Bamgbose, Founder of EAC, and Dr Wilson Sakpere, Lead Facilitator, both urged the girls to maximise the rare educational opportunity, collaborate intensely and build long-lasting professional relationships.
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