Observed annually on 11 February, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science is a chance to pause and look at what is already making a difference and how much remains to be done in closing the gender gap in science education.
Across Africa's science sector, a gender gap persists. Women and girls remain underrepresented in laboratories, engineering schools and research centers - even as science and technology play an increasingly central role in addressing challenges such as health, climate resilience, energy and infrastructure.
Starting early, building confidence
The African Development Bank Group is implementing projects that support more women and girls in science.
One example is the Nelson Mandela Institutes - African Institutions of Science and Technology Project. The initiative reflects the Bank's focus on investing in people, skills and strong institutions as foundations for inclusive and sustainable development, while ensuring that women and girls are better represented across education and research pathways.
For many women scientists, the journey begins long before university.
Through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) outreach activities supported under the project, girls are introduced to scientific subjects at a time when future career choices begin to take shape. These activities include science campaigns, quizzes and coding initiatives in secondary schools. In Nigeria, for example, the Bank recently held STEM awareness campaigns that reached more than 300 secondary-school students, the majority of them girls, as well as coding camps designed specifically for teenage girls.
At university level, the project supports advanced training in science and engineering through scholarships for Masters and Ph.D. degree students drawn from across Africa. Women are prioritized in the award of scholarships, helping address long-standing gender imbalances in STEM education.
According to the United Nations and other agencies, although women in Africa earn a strong share of STEM degrees at undergraduate levels, their representation declines at advanced levels - as low as 25-28 percent of Masters and Ph.D. degree graduates in Africa are women.
"The African Development Bank Group's partnership with STEM-related institutions in these three African countries matriculated close to 400 students with masters and Ph.D. degrees - and about 35 percent of those graduates were women," said Dr. Jemimah Njuki, the Bank's Director for Gender, Women and Civil Society.
"We are thrilled the program delivered for women well above the continental average, but there's much work to be done to remove barriers and see gender parity in advanced education in science-related fields," she added.
The Nelson Mandela Institutes - African Institutions of Science and Technology Project financed the upgrading of laboratories with modern equipment, adding digital research tools and academic supervision in partner institutions. The program also boosted upskilling by expanding access to scientific journals and an academic collaboration, as well as financed close to 150 visiting faculty missions.
Recognition beyond borders
Some women trained through Nelson Mandela Institutes - African Institutions of Science and Technology Project-supported programmes have gone on to earn international recognition for their work, such as the highly competitive international L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science, Young Talent Award and the Eni Award, often described as the "Nobel Prize for Energy". The Next Einstein Forum named Theofrida Maginga, a programme beneficiary who graduated with a Master's degree in information and communication engineering, as an "upcoming woman in STEM" for her exemplary contribution in the field of technological innovation.
These awards highlight the scientific quality and global relevance of research conducted by African women supported through the project.
Turning ideas into practical solutions
The project also looks beyond academic research.
Through university-based innovation hubs and business incubation centers, students and researchers are encouraged to explore how scientific work can be translated into practical solutions. Boot camps, entrepreneurship training and incubation programmes help bridge the gap between research and application.
At the Bank-financed AUSTInspire Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub at the African University of Science and Technology in Abuja, Nigeria, university teams recently supported 15 new businesses in their early stages so they can grow, develop, and become stable and successful. Women took part as students and researchers in training, boot camps and incubation activities. This focus on innovation and entrepreneurship aligns with the Bank's priority to support job creation and private-sector-led solutions, particularly for young people and women.
"The experience of the Nelson Mandela Institutes-African Institutions of Science and Technology Project shows that progress is possible when gender considerations are built into education and research systems from the start," Director Njuki said.
