Girls asked to embrace STEM to bridge gender gap

Girls drawn from schools across states in Nigeria have been called upon to change existing status quo by pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields to bridge the gender gap.

The call was made at a ‘Girls in STEM’ event, hosted by General Electric Vernova’s Gas Power in collaboration with a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Lamenting the gap in gender involvement in STEM fields, the company noted that it is imperative to inspire schoolgirls to choose careers that will prepare the next generation of women engineers and innovators by exposing girls to a network of female role models.

In his speech, Service Executive for GE Vernova’s Gas Power in Sub-Saharan Africa, Kenneth Oyakhire, emphasised the need to look into factors that discourage girls from pursuing STEM.

He said: “It is important to delve beyond surface-level issues and identify the underlying factors that discourage girls from pursuing careers in STEM.”

Also, the Executive Director of JAN, Foluso Gbadamosi, represented by the Programme Manager, Olaolu Akogun, underscored the significance of women succeeding in “men’s world”, stating that there is no better time but now to expose young girls to the possibilities of a career in STEM.