A glance at Amanda Obidike would sell her off as a beautiful, privileged woman who hates work and stress. However, the majority of people who know her — and the cause she stands for — know that her beauty and privileged disposition cannot be compared to her big heart and the sacrifice she makes for humanity.
In her quest for a better life and future for young women and the girl-child, it almost seems like Obidike has sacrificed her academic degrees — a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), a Master’s in Business Management from IBMI, a certification in Economic Policy-making from IE Business School, and a PhD in-view at Selinus University of Science and Literature — for humanitarian endeavours, which she has religiously been doing for over ten years now.
Within these years, she has acquired certifications and amassed awards in the humanitarian space through her work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); sustainable development goals (SDGs) campaigns, and community work.
Asked how she would describe the kind of person she is, she said she is ambitious, proactive, community-driven, and a dreamer. She added that she grew up in a family that understood selflessness, going back to the years when her mother was a worker in the church in the house department of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). Growing up, she believed she could be whatever she wanted to be given the right mindset, hard work, and the grace of God.
“Many people who really know me can attest of how goal-driven I can be at work and community involvements,” she said. “I love to volunteer and understand that fulfillment comes from giving my time, resources, and intellect for social good.”
Obidike’s community services are well documented in the press through her engagement as the General Manager of the Sir Emeka Okwuosa Foundation (SEOF), a position she has held for a year now. Her role at SEOF combines her passion for social innovation, youth development, reform in education curriculum, technology, and building new programmes.
At SEOF, she has supervised the distribution of food items to indigent house households, initiated medical outreaches and treatments for the sick, and witnessed the construction and completion of the Dame Irene Okwuosa Memorial Hospital in Anambra State.
Obidike, who told Saturday Tribune that her life’s mantra is Ahamefuna (an Igbo expression meaning: my name or legacy will not disappear), began to explore science and technology fields in 2016, when she was under-employed, depressed and no longer finding fulfilment in her 9-to-5 job.
“The meaningful and lucrative jobs available also required technical skills that I did not have originally after my graduation,” she said.
Her love for STEM education drove her to found STEMi Makers of Africa, a non-profit organisation she uses to empower and to reach out to under-privileged girls and young women in under-developed communities in Nigeria and some African countries.
She has certifications in STEM education from the Open University, UK; pro-mastery in artificial intelligence and data analytics from IBM; python programming certification from the University of Wolverhampton; certified augmented reality expert from Global Tech Council; Java programming and MySQL: DBA certification from IBM; and applied AI Witt Deep Learning from IBM.
“I love STEM and look forward to a refined education system using an ‘Africa by us, for us’ approach,” she added.
On why her STEM projects are mainly focused on girls and young women, she lamented that women make up half of Nigeria’s college-educated workforce, but only 11 per cent of the science and engineering workforce are women. She added that research shows that girls start doubting their STEM intelligence by the age six and continue to lose confidence as classes become less gender-balanced and more intimidating.
“STEMi is an inclusive organisation, and we have two programmes tailored for young women and girls. With these programmes, we hope to get onboard more women and girls to pursue careers in STEM,” she said. “Our approach involves working together with educators, parents, and allies to show girls that no subject is off limits because of their gender.”
Recently, for her work on STEM and community service, Amanda Obidike received two awards — the 2022 Honorary Award of the Humanitarian Award Global, and the Innocent Chukwuma Prize for Social Entrepreneurship and Gender Empowerment.
The first award, the Honorary Award of the Humanitarian Award Global, is a recognition of 50 leaders doing amazing things in their different spaces globally. Obidike stated that it was an honour to be among that number and it was also an encouragement for her to continue with her vision to make Africa innovationally habitable for her people.
Speaking on her achievements that merited her the Humanitarian Award Global, she said someone from Ghana reached out to her and informed her that she was nominated for the award due to the work she has been doing in bringing young women and girls into technology.
On how the award would impact her work and career, she said it would give her visibility and network. She added that she wants to do more, that she wants prospective partner organisations to key into the mission of young talents developing lasting solutions using STEM.
“We also need educators to serve as knowledge panels and inspiration to the younger generation,” she said, “so that they will understand that the economic growth of our nation depends on research, innovation, and development using STEM.”
The second award, the Innocent Chukwuma Prize for Social Entrepreneurship and Gender Empowerment — an initiative co-chaired by the Ford Foundation and LEAP Africa — is in commemoration and celebration of the life and legacy of Innocent Chukwuma, who served as the Director of Ford Foundation’s West Africa office from 2013 to 2021.
“I am so happy to be the first recipient of this noble prize and recognition,” she said.
Obidike noted that she was awarded the Innocent Chukwuma Prize in recognition of her significant contributions to youth and gender empowerment in South-eastern region of Nigeria through STEM education projects.
She stated that STEMi had conducted seven projects in Enugu, Imo, Abia, Delta, and Anambra states by empowering educators and classrooms with project-based learning tools, training girls in STEM, and boosting innovations and creativity of undergraduates in tertiary institutions through their Campus Ambassador programmes.
‘The impact has been huge and we are so thankful for the experts who devoted their time, energy, and resources to see our girls grow,” she said.
With the current Nigerian situation in mind, Obidike gave a glimpse of the kind of future she envisages for the girl-child and what she could do to make that kind of future a reality.
“I envisage an inclusive environment and platform where young girls could be bold to dream and to take on leading roles in STEM,” she said. “Let us keep investing in the classroom by empowering educators, and creating an enabling environment for girls to succeed.”
Asked if she were the Minister of Science and Technology, how would she ensure that young people have basic training in tech and STEM education? Obidike emphasised that her vision is to break the wall of inheriting fragmented and disconnected education institutions.
She said she would tackle this challenge from the grassroots. She lamented that 65 – 73 per cent of Nigerian educators do not have access to improved knowledge on science and technology curriculum needed to be integrated in a modern classroom or university. She added that if the current trends continue, by 2050, millions of young people the country would lack basic proficiency in mathematics, which would make them unemployable and unproductive.
“If I were the Minister of Science and Technology,” she said, “I would look forward to reviewing existing mechanisms, bridging and establishing a framework where we could develop our human and social capital through education, reward for outstanding innovations and skills revolution.”
Over the last couple of years, Amanda Obidike’s work and career have taken her to many countries and have landed her many prizes, awards, and fellowships.
She is a Techwomen Awardee — an initiative of the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), and also a Global 20 Goldman Sachs Fellow. In 2020, she was given the Technology Rising Star Award by WOC, Michigan, for successfully championing diversity in technology and innovation for the girl-child. She has also been celebrated by Forbes Science as an African changing the culture fabric for young talents to embrace opportunities in science and technology.
She currently serves on the boards of the Nigerian Global Affairs Council, STEMi Makers of Africa, Innovation Village in Kenya, and as a trustee at the MAI Foundation for Women Empowerment and Advocacy Centre.
On her next plans and engagements, Obidike revealed that she has joined the UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab. She said the job is a way of lending technical proficiency in delivering a more inclusive, equity-weighted and SDG-orientated policies for organisations and countries.
“Through this opportunity, I translate inclusive policies, knowledge co-creation and help to draft outcome statements,” she said.
Asked what she considers as a high point of her career, she said, “I am a dreamer. Sometimes, I want to be president; another moment, I want to be a minister. I just want to be found doing something good and leaving a lasting legacy.”
On her support systems when the stress/pressure from work mounts and what she likes doing at your leisure, she emphasised that family is everything for her.
“I fall back to my mum and sister. Their word has always been a soothing balm and they help me become a better person,” she added. “For unwinding, I am more of a reserved person. I would always prefer to be indoor, watch a movie and sleep.”
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