US Livonia experts partners with APWEN to train Nigerian Secondary School Girls in Virtual Robotics Training

Nigerian youths have once again been placed at the centre of a global conversation on innovation, technology, and the future of work, following an online STEM robotics workshop that connected secondary school students in Nigeria with Livonia Warriors High School Robotics Team from Michigan in the United States.

This was the position of a number of speakers who spoke at the virtual event, describing it as a clear demonstration of what is possible when young minds are exposed early to practical science and international collaboration.

The online STEM Robotics event saw Nigerian secondary school students collaborate in real time with a US-based robotics team via Google Meet, jointly assembling and programming robots despite being thousands of miles apart.

The session blended live instruction, demonstrations, and interactive problem-solving, turning the virtual space into a shared laboratory of ideas and innovation.

The training workshop was hosted for 25 high school girls of Ambassadors College, Ota, Ogun State, with a strong focus on breaking gender barriers in science and technology. Participants were guided through hands-on robotics concepts designed to spark curiosity, confidence, and creativity in STEM-related disciplines.

The event was put together under the First Livonia/SWE/APWEN Robotics Outreach initiative and was led by Engr. Dr. Imhade Princess Okokpujie, MNSE, an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD). As Team Leader of the outreach in Nigeria, Dr. Okokpujie has been at the forefront of initiatives aimed at increasing female participation in engineering and technology.

Speaking during the workshop, Dr. Okokpujie described the programme as “a deliberate effort to catch young girls early and show them that engineering and robotics are not abstract ideas, but practical tools they can master.” She noted that confidence, not intelligence, is often the missing link for girls in STEM, adding that exposure is key to closing that gap.

“This training is designed to introduce these girls to the fascinating world of robotics in a practical, engaging, and inspiring way,” she said. “When they see themselves building and controlling robots, they begin to imagine themselves as future engineers, innovators, and problem-solvers.”