US Facilitates Drone Technology Workshop for Nigerian Students, Women

United States Consulate in Lagos in collaboration with Baltimore-based Global Air Media has concluded a two-day drone technology workshop for students and women STEM leaders.

The training which was held at the Cedar STEM and Entrepreneurship Hub and American Corner at Co-Creation Hub (CCHUB) in Yaba, Lagos, last Monday and Tuesday respectively, was facilitated by a team of three drone experts led by Global Air Media co-founder Eno Umoh.

At the workshop, 30 elementary and high school students were coached on the basics of building a drone from the scratch as well as the requisite skills for piloting and landing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

In addition to the students’ seminar, 13 female STEM leaders were mentored on the evolving technology needs of the 21st century, particularly in the fields of real estate and construction, cinematography, as well as humanitarian and emergency response.

Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate in Lagos, Ms. Darcy Zotter, explained that the hands-on workshop was designed to stimulate the interest of the participating students in mathematics and science as well as careers in the STEM fields.

“STEM enables us to find solutions to some of the most pressing issues of today such as alternative energy or even food security. Creating inventions to solve global challenges can be a catalyst for a country’s economic development,” Zotter said.

According to her, the US Mission in Nigeria has funded a number of projects to increase STEM education in different parts of the country. Whether at home or abroad, adding that promoting STEM education is a top priority of the US government.

She said: “Last March, we hosted a 16-member delegation of senior women technology executives and professionals from Silicon Valley in California. The visiting delegation held a mentoring programme for over 70 Nigerian female STEM leaders.

“In December 2017, we funded the establishment of a technology hub in Lagos designed to host training and mentoring sessions for persons living with disabilities in various technology-based skills. We also hosted RoboRAVE, a robotics education programme in Lagos and Abeokuta in October 2017.”