STEM Africa Fest, West Africa's largest experiential science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) festival for children and young people, will return for its sixth edition with an expanded footprint across Nigeria.
The flagship event is scheduled for Saturday, 18 July 2026, at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos, while this year's edition will also include a multi-city rollout, with Ilorin joining the programme as the organisers seek to broaden access to practical STEM education for children and teenagers.
The 2026 festival is themed "Building Future Innovators", reflecting its mission to create immersive, hands-on learning experiences that enable young people to explore, experiment and apply science and technology concepts in real-world settings. Organisers say the initiative is designed to foster curiosity, creativity and problem-solving skills while exposing participants to emerging technologies from an early age.
Speaking on the significance of this year's edition, Co-organiser of STEM Africa Fest, Mrs Jadesola Adedeji, said the festival was established to bridge the gap between classroom learning and practical STEM education.
She said, "STEM Africa Fest was created to respond to the growing need to make STEM education more accessible, practical, and engaging for children across Nigeria. For too long, STEM learning has been perceived as abstract, overly technical, and disconnected from everyday experiences, which limits how early learners engage with it and see themselves in it. This informed our decision to design a platform that introduces children to STEM through immersive, hands-on experiences that reflect real-world applications. Over time, what began as a learning-focused initiative has evolved into a broader ecosystem-building platform that brings together educators, innovators, and partners committed to shaping the future of STEM education on the continent."
She added: "We see ourselves as ecosystem builders. This festival is not just an event; it is an advocacy platform aimed at making STEM education mainstream across Africa. Through it, we are also spotlighting the work of other stakeholders and partners within the ecosystem. Over the years, the value of this initiative has been reflected in the number of activities, collaborations, and projects that continue to emerge from the festival each year."
According to UNESCO, Sub-Saharan Africa continues to face a shortage of skilled STEM professionals, largely due to limited access to practical science and technology education during the early years of learning. Despite having one of the world's fastest-growing youth populations, the region remains underrepresented in the global STEM talent pipeline. In Nigeria, the challenge is compounded by an education system that places greater emphasis on theoretical instruction than on applied learning, limiting early exposure to coding, robotics, engineering and innovation.
The organisers said the 2026 edition will feature interactive STEM laboratories, robotics demonstrations, coding and game development challenges, artificial intelligence and machine learning workshops, engineering and innovation labs, drone technology sessions, and science experiments. Career-focused sessions will also introduce participants to opportunities within global technology and innovation industries.
Parents, teachers and school leaders will participate in dedicated sessions exploring how experiential STEM education can be integrated into classrooms to improve student engagement and learning outcomes.
Also speaking, Co-founder and Co-organiser of STEM Africa Fest and Co-founder of 9ijakids, Titi Adewusi, said inclusion remains central to the festival's vision.
She noted, "From inception, our goal has been to make participation as accessible as possible, with targeted interventions to widen access for underserved communities. Importantly, at least 20% of attendees participate at no cost, with transportation and feeding fully covered through our partners, enabling us to reach public schools, NGOs, and SOS villages. Inclusion remains central to our mission, as we believe access to quality education is a fundamental right for every child, including deliberate efforts toward gender inclusion."
Since its launch in 2021, STEM Africa Fest has grown into one of Africa's leading experiential learning platforms, reaching more than 25,000 children, students, parents and educators across Nigeria and several African countries, including Ghana, Zambia, Rwanda, The Gambia, Kenya and Sierra Leone.
The organisers say the festival continues to play an important role in helping to bridge the STEM skills gap by providing young people with practical learning experiences that prepare them for future careers in science, technology and innovation.
The event is open to students, schools, educators and families, with registration and participation details available through the festival's official communication channels.
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