Women in STEM Africa Summit 2026 Opens at KICC: Ogamba Urges Investors to See Women-Led Tech as Opportunity, Not Charity

Eunice Pohlmann at Women in STEM Africa Summit 2026, KICC Photo: Eunice Pohlmann, Founder of Women in Technology and Innovation Africa (WITIA), on stage during the opening of the 2nd Women in STEM Africa Summit 2026 at the KICC. (The 254 Report)

NAIROBI, KENYA: The second edition of the Women in STEM Africa Summit opened at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on September 3, 2026, under the theme "Discovering Talent. Driving Innovation. Shaping Africa's Future." Organized by Women in Technology and Innovation Africa (WITIA) led by Founder Eunice Pohlmann in partnership with UNESCO, the two-day summit aims to transform how the continent approaches women's participation in the digital economy.

A Shift from Charity to Economic Opportunity

Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Education, Julius Ogamba, delivered the opening remarks, calling on stakeholders to treat the gathering as a catalyst for action rather than a routine conference. He outlined specific mandates for every tier of the ecosystem:

• Educators: Inspire young women to see possibilities beyond the boundaries of what they currently know.

• Universities and Research Institutions: Strengthen pathways for women into research, innovation, and technology leadership.

• Industry: Open more opportunities for internships, apprenticeships, mentorships, and employment for young women entering STEM fields.

• Policymakers: Continue efforts to remove structural barriers and create environments where women and girls can thrive.

His sharpest directive was aimed at the investment community, urging them to fundamentally change how they evaluate women-led ventures:

Addressing the young African women in attendance, Ogamba urged them to reject artificial limits. He advised them not to wait for permission to innovate, to be willing to ask difficult questions, and to view failure simply as an opportunity to learn and begin again.

Designing Africa's Technological Future

Framing the WITIA-UNESCO partnership as a model for connecting policy to practice, Ogamba noted that Africa has a unique opportunity to leapfrog traditional development pathways by leveraging its young population and expanding tech ecosystem.

"Our responsibility is therefore to create an education system and innovation ecosystem that does not simply prepare Africans for a future designed everywhere or elsewhere, but gives Africans the knowledge, skills, confidence and opportunities to design that future themselves," he stated, emphasizing that women and girls must be the "principal architects" of this transformation.

Data-Driven Education Reform and Workforce Alignment

Following the opening ceremony, Ogamba outlined concrete administrative reforms within the Ministry of Education aimed at aligning academic outputs with economic demand. The Ministry is currently executing the extensive construction of 3,000 classrooms while structuring resource allocation to direct 60% of funding toward priority technical and scientific tracks.

To solve the persistent mismatch between tertiary training and market demand, the government is establishing end-to-end pipelines within Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.

Ogamba affirmed that the state is moving away from speculative decision-making in favor of empirical, data-driven planning.

The Ceremony

To officially inaugurate the summit, WITIA Founder Eunice Pohlmann and CS Ogamba were joined on stage by representatives from the Ministry of Education, the WITIA advisory board, and partners. The leadership team led a formal ribbon-cutting and countdown to launch the 2026 edition, kicking off two days of programming dedicated to funding, policy, and innovation in the African tech ecosystem.