The Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), University of Lagos (UNILAG) Branch, celebrated the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child by empowering secondary school girls to harness education, innovation and technology to address societal challenges
The grand finale, held on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at the Science Board Room, UNILAG, featured presentations of artificial intelligence (AI) applications developed by female senior secondary school students to address challenges in Nigeria.
The event was the culmination of a two-day intensive training programme in entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence, held on September 24 and 25 at the Robotic Hub of the D.K. Olukoya Central Research and Reference Laboratory. What began as classroom instruction culminated in confident presentations of practical, technology-driven solutions designed with Nigeria’s future in mind.
Held under the theme, “From Potential to Power: Empowering Girls for an Equal Future,” the celebration brought together students, teachers, members of the OWSD-UNILAG Board of Governors, university academics, guest speakers, sponsors and partners. Other participants also joined the event virtually.
Nurturing Every Girl’s Potential
In her welcome address, the Coordinator of the OWSD-UNILAG Branch, Professor Aderonke Samuel, described UNILAG as the “University of First Choice and the Nation’s Pride.” She expressed the university’s pleasure at hosting the students and its hope of welcoming them as future undergraduates.
Professor Samuel explained that the International Day of the Girl Child is observed worldwide and that the event’s theme underscored the immense potential of every girl. She stressed that this potential must be nurtured through education, opportunity, mentorship and access to the tools needed for success.
She added that the programme was designed not merely to celebrate the girls but also to invest in their future and demonstrate that they have a place in science, technology, entrepreneurship and leadership.
Leading the students in an affirmation, she declared, “I can learn. I can create. And I can lead,” urging them not to allow their age or gender to limit their ambitions.
Professor Samuel expressed appreciation to the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Host, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, FAS, OON, and the University Management for supporting the initiative, noting that their backing had been instrumental to the programme’s success.
Turning Potential into Action
In her remarks, Professor Omobolanle Ade-Ademiliua, who represented the Chairman of the OWSD-UNILAG Board of Governors, Professor Taiwo Asekun, challenged the students to translate their potential into action.
Drawing an analogy from physics, she explained that potential energy becomes useful when put to work. Similarly, she said, possessing abilities is not enough unless they are put to productive use.
She encouraged the girls to recognise their self-worth and pursue excellence in every position and field they entered. She also advised them to walk away from relationships or workplaces that diminished their worth.
Highlighting the increasing availability of funding opportunities and grants for young women, Professor Ade-Ademiliua urged the students not to allow financial constraints to discourage them from pursuing their ambitions. She encouraged them to aspire to positions of influence in their chosen careers and invited them to consider studying at UNILAG.
Creating Solutions for Nigeria’s Future
Ten schools were invited to participate in the programme, and their students received training in entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence. Following the training, five schools were selected to showcase their innovations at the grand finale.
The participating schools were:
- Aje Comprehensive Senior High School
- Birrel Avenue Senior High School
- Eletu Odibo Senior High School
- Fazil Omar Senior High School
- Gbaja Girls Senior High School
- Herbert Macaulay Girls Senior High School
- Lagos City Senior College
- Mainland Senior High School
- New Era Girls Senior Secondary School
- Wesley Girls Senior Secondary School
The students were challenged to develop solutions to problems Nigeria might face by 2050. Each team had five minutes to explain the problem it had identified, demonstrate how its application worked and describe the role of AI in the solution. The teams were also required to discuss potential risks and safeguards, demonstrate their applications and respond to questions from the judges and audience.
The showcased innovations included:
- AI Farm Doctor: An application that enables farmers to photograph diseased crops and receive possible diagnoses, recommended treatments and guidance on when to consult an agricultural extension officer. It also supports communication in Nigerian languages, including Yoruba and Hausa, as well as English.
- AgriSmart AI: A platform offering weather alerts, an AI assistant, an AI crop doctor, farm record-keeping tools and a marketplace featuring a map of nearby farmers and markets.
- Agripadi: A digital assistant for smallholder farmers that provides agricultural advice, weather and market information, and crop disease identification in multiple Nigerian languages.
- FarmAI: An integrated agricultural platform combining weather forecasts, a multilingual chatbot, access to verified agricultural experts, a farm-input shop and machinery rental services.
- NaijaGrid: A transportation platform designed to support journey planning, real-time tracking, emergency reporting and government monitoring.
Following each presentation, the judges and guests posed practical questions to the students. The projects were assessed based on problem definition, functionality, the application of artificial intelligence, risk management and safeguards, live demonstrations, and responses to questions.
The students presented their ideas with clarity and confidence, demonstrating their progression from learning about technology to developing practical applications with the potential to address real-world challenges.
Voices of Resilience and Resolve
Beyond the technology presentations, two guest speakers shared personal experiences and practical lessons on resilience, self-worth and purposeful living.
The Branch Manager of Wema Bank Plc, UNILAG Branch, Mrs. Idoreyin Akinnibosun, recounted her personal journey, including the loss of her father at the age of ten and the resilience of her mother, who raised her despite having also lost three children.
Drawing on these experiences, she encouraged the girls to believe in their ability to succeed and remain undeterred by challenges. She emphasised that knowledge, combined with deliberate action, was essential to realising one’s potential.
Mrs. Akinnibosun assured the students that they were born to win and should not allow anyone to convince them otherwise. She observed that girls often excel academically and encouraged them to support their parents and listen to their mothers.
Highlighting the growing presence of Nigerian women in leadership across aviation, banking and other sectors, Mrs. Akinnibosun called on parents, schools, financial institutions and government to invest in the girl child through scholarships, internships, mentorship and protective policies.
She also informed the students about scholarship opportunities, internships and technology programmes offered by Wema Bank, including hackathons conducted in schools across different states. Commending the students’ innovations, she noted that ideas such as AI Farm Doctor could develop into viable businesses with the right capital and resources.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director of the Institute of Continuing Education, UNILAG, Dr. Adetoun G. Emiola, identified three essential requirements for turning potential into power: being seen for the right reasons, pursuing intentional education and protecting oneself.
Reflecting on her journey from Kaduna and Sokoto States to attaining multiple academic distinctions at UNILAG, Dr. Emiola observed that girls were not less intelligent than boys but were often less empowered.
She highlighted the challenges that could derail girls’ aspirations, including early marriage, unwanted pregnancy, economic hardship, insecurity and the stigma associated with girls studying science. She urged parents and teachers not to raise girls solely to become good wives but to equip them to become bold, skilled and financially independent women.
Dr. Emiola encouraged the students to use technology as a learning tool and acquire practical skills alongside their academic education. She noted that UNILAG awards both academic and skills certificates, underscoring the importance of combining theoretical knowledge with practical competence.
She explained that entrepreneurship begins with identifying a problem and developing a solution, citing examples such as tutoring younger students, establishing an online shop and designing fashion items. She also stressed that artificial intelligence should amplify human intelligence rather than replace it.
In concluding her remarks, she urged the students to embrace four principles: Purpose, Practice, Purity of Character and Persistence. She challenged each girl to identify a problem in her environment and develop an AI-supported solution within a defined timeframe.
Celebrating Champions of Innovation
The competition was closely contested, with the students demonstrating a high standard of presentation. Following the presentations and assessment, the participating schools were ranked as follows:
- Mainland Senior High School — First place, with its FarmAI application, scoring 92.4 per cent.
- Lagos City Senior College — Second place, with NaijaGrid, scoring 85.6 per cent.
- Gbaja Girls Senior High School — Third place, with AgriSmart AI, scoring 79.6 per cent.
- Herbert Macaulay Girls Senior High School — Fourth place, scoring 75.12 per cent.
- Wesley Girls Senior Secondary School, Yaba — Fifth place, scoring 70 per cent.
The top-performing teams received additional gifts and recognition, while all participating students received certificates of participation and other gifts in recognition of their efforts.
Honouring Role Models
The programme also recognised newly promoted professors, retired-but-not-tired professors and former members of the OWSD-UNILAG Board of Governors.
The honourees were celebrated for their contributions to the growth of the organisation and its mission to empower girls and women through science, education and innovation. The recognition also provided the students with role models whose achievements demonstrated the possibilities available through academic and professional pursuits.
Inspiring the Next Generation
The 2026 International Day of the Girl Child celebration at UNILAG demonstrated what can be achieved when girls are equipped with the right tools, opportunities and encouragement to lead. Through intensive training and a public showcase of their innovations, the students developed AI-powered solutions addressing challenges in agriculture, food security and transportation.
Their applications demonstrated that, when deliberately nurtured and put into action, potential can become innovation, leadership and meaningful contributions to national development.
Report: Lynda Onah
Photograph: Islamiat Akanni
