In Conversation with Amanda Obidike
Amanda Obidike is the multi-award-winning Executive Director of STEMi Makers Africa, where she’s on a mission to empower young Africans across 19 countries to become tomorrow’s changemakers through invention, creativity, and STEM. Amanda volunteers as a mentor and advisor on business leadership, STEM careers, and entrepreneurship across several organisations, and amongst her achievements, she was recognised with the Global Award for Achievement in the 2020TechWomen100 Awards. Interviewed by Youth STEM Matters Volunteer Team members Ericka Tamayo and Reeva Khokhar, Amanda shares her story and advice for young changemakers...
Amanda Obidike
Reeva: What made you realise that you wanted to increase opportunities in STEM, and what was it like when you initially began your journey?
Amanda: STEMi Makers Africa was born out of trying to resolve a problem that was deeply affecting our education institution - not just in Nigeria, but other countries in Africa as well. A lot of time, young people go to university and once they graduate they don't have the skills they need for the future or the workplace.
I didn't have a STEM education; my first degree was actually in business management. After finishing university I wanted to find a good job, but that did not happen. I realised the jobs I wanted were given to people who had more skills, and that it was not just about having a degree, but it was about having the technical skills that the job needed. I did have a job but I was demotivated and I wasn't happy.
“I realised that education is underrated across all classrooms and that is why we need to start STEM education. ”
I realised that education is underrated across all classrooms and that is why we need to start STEM education. A lot of young people like me didn't have this knowledge. They didn't have mentoring, so they lacked career and academic support to help them navigate the job market. This is why STEMi Makers Africa was founded, and it's been a wonderful journey - now we've got a lot of people who are getting involved and volunteering with us.
Ericka: In your journey, you have occupied several incredible roles: from being a study lead to a funding curator throughout your work experience. But, if you had a chance to go back in time, is there anything you would do differently in your journey?
Amanda: I would love to have networked a little bit more. I was very, very introverted while at university; I did not want to have peer-to-peer association. So, if I was to go back in time, I would have loved to interact more with mentoring, to help develop soft skills like critical thinking, collaboration and effective communication.
Reeva: As a woman in STEM and seeing how you want to do volunteer work with a lot of organisations and groups that celebrate women, what do you think that young people can do to help?
Amanda: We still lack women role models in STEM - I know that a lot of people talk about STEM more, but I feel we need to walk the talk. Wanting to advocate for gender inclusion in STEM is one thing, but it’s another thing for us to take that responsibility to serve as role models. In Africa specifically, we have very, very few women in science and technology careers and I believe we need to focus more on mentoring, no matter how small, and sharing our story. You never know who will be inspired by where we are coming from or where we are going.
“One piece of advice I would give to young people is to reach out to younger girls, whether in high school or in primary school and see how we can build a community.”
Ericka: When you started Project Kuongoza, you had already built STEMi Makers Africa and had an impact on youth. What motivated you to create this mentorship and fellowship programme specifically for women and girls?
Amanda: My motivation is underrepresentation and that there are fewer women role models. Two years ago, we had an idea of having an International Women's Day conference with the US Consulate. We wanted to have women that are in science, technology, engineering and innovation speak at the event but found that it was so difficult getting a line-up of women that are in this field. We found that either these women were so successful that they were not available to speak, or they didn’t have the visibility, or weren’t as active on social media. We realised that we have very, very few young women that are in STEM, or even if we have them, we are not hearing their voices. We asked ourselves, who is going to inspire this younger generation of girls?
During the pandemic, we found the solution and started Project Kuongoza for leading and empowering young women. It's been amazing; from cohort to cohort, we get overwhelming numbers of young girls that are trying to sign up for the programme. It's been wonderful reading their feedback and hearing about their progress, opportunities and scholarships that they have gained from their mentors. It is really inspiring, and this propels us to do more for the continent.
Reeva: Social media has both positives and negatives. Having read one of your articles about the power of social media as a tool for social good, do you believe that the benefits of it overcome the drawbacks?
Amanda: In all honesty, whatever has a good side has a bad side. We, for example, are using technology to speak today, but I could tell you that there are some disadvantages to technology. There are maybe disadvantages to using social media when people mismanage it, for example with cyberbullying. In some countries, including Nigeria, there are restrictions on accessing social media too. However, if people can raise their voices through social media, and use it to reach out to partners or people that would like to volunteer with their group, it can be a real connecting point. Social media has helped STEMi Makers Africa find partners - one saw what we were doing on LinkedIn and reached out to us and said they would like to partner with us. Imagine if we didn't use social media to raise our voices about what we do, what our values are, the projects that we're doing and intended to do...there is definitely a brighter side of social media!
Ericka: In any journey, there are always challenges along the way - could you share some challenges that you’ve faced and how you overcame them?
Amanda: The nature of work that we do means we have social impact goals, and we are aiming to achieve them. Sometimes the resources are not forthcoming, or partners are not responding, so these challenges exist. When they arise, we go back to our design board to see if there is anything that we need to modify, for example, if we need to reach out to partners differently. I’m mentioning this because a lot of the time it is not easy executing projects across not just communities, but countries. Some countries may lack the resources or it may be hard to find the people who understand the vision. To solve this challenge, we’ve been looking inward and have recognised we not only want to do partnerships for one year but want to build long term partnerships with an organised approach. This way, other communities that we're reaching out to can also benefit from the partnership.
Reeva: Starting a business can be really intimidating, so in your experience, what’s your advice for setting up a successful business foundation?
Amanda: Firstly, most of the time people delve into business because of the resources, the gains, the profits…But I look at impact first, then profit, so it doesn’t have to be all about money. Second, I would advise you to know that people work well when they love what they do, so try to see how you can drive that passion towards them. These two things are what's going to make that business sustainable - when you do them, you’ll find that you’re attracting people that want to work alongside you or partner with you.
Reeva: What is your motivation to keep going and working hard each and every day?
Amanda: Starting STEMi Makers Africa was a result of trying to solve a need and wanting to change our narrative, not just for women and girls, but in addressing this fragmented education institution we have in Nigeria. I'm always happy when I hear success stories, impact reports from our work, and new internship opportunities - I know that it’s my work that created that impact. So even if we’re not successful in getting a certain kind of support or backing, that impact alone encourages us to still keep on doing better and being consistent.
Reeva: Doing so much, how do you find a work-life balance, and do you have any advice for young people on how they can find that balance in their lives?
Amanda: In all honesty, sometimes work can be so overwhelming that I don't even have time for myself, I must be truthful to you - but journaling helped me both last year and this year. It's not just only about detailing what our tasks are, but is about taking a minute for ourselves; reflecting on what we have done; reflecting on what we need to do. I also realised I could cultivate the habit of intentionally reaching out to people who I hadn't spoken to in a long while by checking in with them to ask how they're doing. Unknowingly, you find out that you're helping people and you're also thankful. During my day, I also put aside time for myself to take an hour to have a sleep, just to cool the brain, for my mental wellbeing and for better productivity.
Ericka: You mentioned in one of your videos that you shared with us that you are a dreamer - what is your advice for young people, dreamers like you, to start making an impact using STEM?
Amanda: The first thing is to understand why you are doing it; there should be a ‘why’. We all have intentions of doing things; sometimes people do things because it is going to give them amplification, visibility or recognition, and others might do it because there is a problem they have identified and they want to be the solution. So, understand why you are doing this because it's going to serve as a motivation when things don’t go as smoothly as you envisage.
“The first thing is to understand why you are doing it; there should be a ‘why’”
Second, in every space there are wonderful people. When you’re in those spaces, see how you can tap into each other's network, each sharing your various skills, knowledge and stories. This helps us move from point A to point B.
Do what you do because you love it or do it because the younger generation can look up to you - you could inspire their story. So, I love what Youth STEM 2030 is doing. I also encourage you all; you are also doing amazing. I know that there may be challenges here and there. But you know, the good thing is that I'm trusting that Youth STEM 2030 is a family also, so we share this bonding that even if things may not go to plan, like for me, we will have each other to encourage ourselves, to inspire ourselves from the story and move ahead.
Reeva: Can you tell us a bit about Calal Global?
Amanda: Calal Global is the data science school - it was an initiative I started to help small businesses, especially women-led businesses, analyse their data. Data science is really expensive in Nigeria so I wanted to offer pro bono consulting, to help small businesses analyse their markets to determine profitability for better decision making. I started Calal Global alongside STEMi, so STEMi serves as a non-profit organisation while Calal Global is the private side of the organisation.
I started it after IBM trained me, because I didn't want to go back to a 9-5 job. I wanted to start empowering people, especially young women and girls, in their businesses and also inspire them. Last year, we had a programme in University of Lagos where we selected girls, equipped them and taught them what business intelligence is.They were then able to start consulting, even while still at university - you don't necessarily need to finish university to start earning money! One thing I’ve realised about data science is that you should just keep developing yourself every day.
Mhairi McCann: If you had infinite time, resources and money to solve one global challenge, what challenge would you choose and why?
Amanda: Simple: education. Access to education still remains a problem, not only in Africa, but in other continents. I would love to solve education in terms of inclusion, because (especially with the need for technology) a lot of times we've seen social exclusion. Education is meant to be accessible and equitable for all, irrespective of your social class and irrespective of your background. I'm really passionate about ensuring that everyone can get the same opportunity to access education.
Mahashri Ranjith Kumar: Everyone has someone to look up to for inspiration, especially when you’re starting out; who was that person for you?
Amanda: I would say my mum, because she has taught me resilience. She has taught me that you can't always have your ‘yes’, and even when you get a ‘no’, you should be able to still push ahead. Another person that inspires me is Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She had this groundbreaking record of not just being the first woman, but the first African who is the director of the World Trade Organization as it is now. I read her story, and it was not all rosy for her. There were times that the door was shut against her, but she just had to still be persistent. She had to be consistent, she had to be creative, she had to be dynamic. She also had to tell her story. She had her challenges; she had times where she was disappointed. But she was able to look back and inspire herself to do more, so I think this woman is amazing.
Ericka: Finally, what advice would you give to a young person starting off in the field of STEM?
“If I can do it, how much more can you, having already identified what STEM is, do?”
Amanda: I didn't have a background in science or technology, so my advice would be to be open to learning. We can never know it all, and I realised that - even irrespective of what I read in university - I still have a lot to learn. And that learning was no longer in the institution, but it was in the hearts of people. I cultivated the habit of attending webinars, workshop programmes, connecting to people that inspire me, and reading articles they have written - as I was doing this it was subconsciously rubbing off on me; it was helping me get better.
My other piece of advice would be to be daring - my story is very unique in the sense that I originally had no background in STEM but now I'm finding my path in STEM. If I can do it, how much more can you, having already identified what STEM is, do? The opportunities are there, and the world is waiting for your manifestation!
